Destiny, is everything pre-ordained? Does God control our lives down to the smallest detail? Or do we choose our own futures by our daily thoughts and
The reason for this philosophical musing today is the result of conversations with good friends over the last couple of weeks and my own reflections on the question. It seems the state of the world and the Western world, in particular, is causing many people to question their purpose in life.
It seems in many ways that the older I get, the less sure I am about many of the things that I thought were crystal clear years ago.
Back to the opening question.
We cannot choose our parents, the timing or place of our birth. Our genetics are decided for us. Our parents or the absence of one or both of them dictate much of our physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth. This growth is influenced by the environment we are brought up in. We don’t have much control
Is it God or destiny?
I am not about to start a huge theological debate here, suffice it to say that I do believe in God and I believe His greatest gift to humans is the ability to think. I believe He expects us to use that gift wisely. I don’t believe He controls every minute of our lives.
What I do believe is that He provides opportunities and challenges. Our present and our future are dictated by how we choose to respond to both. Even if you do not believe in God and prefer to think of destiny, fate or karma the path is similar.
Looking back on my life, those of people I know and the well-documented lives of others, I believe it is the incremental effect of thousands of little choices and comparatively few big ones that have got us where we are today and will dictate where we will be next week, next year and beyond.
Let me share an example from my own life:
I was fortunate to have been educated under a strict British education system in Rhodesia. Slacking and bad behaviour were not tolerated and punished by detention in junior school and the cane in high school. We tended to apply ourselves to our lessons.
Whether because of, or in spite of, the system, I managed to coast through my school career without working too hard. I was in the top academic stream throughout my schooling generally coming in the top 10 in exams. Once when bribed by parents with the offer of a bicycle for a better performance I exerted myself and got into the top five.
Although assured of a place at University and probably a good scholarship, I chose to leave school to farm with my father.
Enough of my life story is written on the about page of this blo and in my book, I am not going to repeat it here.
The point is, that huge decision to skip university and become a farmer set me on an amazing journey. More big decisions and thousands of minor ones brought me via three countries, a marriage, a divorce, a new partnership, several jobs, several of my own businesses, many successes and many failures to the desk in my home office in Ontario, Canada where I am typing this post.
If I had chosen to go to university instead of becoming a farmer I would have set out on a different journey. Different choices at any point on that journey would have had different consequences. I would probably not have met and married my first wife, not had the children and grandchildren I now have.
People ask if I was unlucky to experience the violence in Zimbabwe during the farm seizures. If I had not chosen to skip university, I would almost certainly not have been a farmer in Zimbabwe in 2002. Most probably, I would have been in a “safe” job or business in South Africa or the UK. My earlier choice started the chain of events that led me back to Zimbabwe and onto that farm in 1994.
How much did God direct my decisions? For most of my life I accepted that there was a God but I turned away from the church. I did not give much thought to God or His plans, if any, for me.
In the last few years, at an age when I am facing the realisation that I am not going to live forever, I am paying more attention. I accept that where, who and how I am has more to do with choices I have made over the last 50 or 60 years than luck, fate, destiny or God’s will.
I am grateful for the gifts and skills God has blessed me with, but I believe He expects me to use them wisely and make the right choices.
Do I believe that God has directly influenced some of my choices? Yes, I do, I believe He is leading me and showing me how to be a better person. But I do not believe He will make the choices for me. I struggle with some of the paths he is showing me, I am trying to look at them logically and my more learned acquaintances tell me God does not use logic.
Conclusion
I believe that our start in life is directed by forces beyond our control, we cannot choose our parents.
After that most of what happens to us in life is due to the choices we make and how we respond to the opportunities and challenges that we encounter on our journey.
Does God have a hand in it? Absolutely.
Is there a force of Destiny, fate or karma? I am not convinced, I think we use that idea to explain, justify or excuse our choices.
What do you think? Leave a comment.
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