Christianity vs. Fate
“I don’t have to listen to you. I can make my own decisions!” Almost every parent or older sibling has heard this line before. Many young kids, myself included, have chafed under the authority of parents and older siblings. I believe that in a small way, this aspect of the parent/child relationship help explains the idea of God influencing our lives, as well as our free agency to make our own decisions. I believe that God tries to help us, his children, by directing us to do things that help us grow. However, equally important is the free agency that all mankind has.
Free agency is the universal trait that all people have. Free agency is the ability to choose. Many argue today between the idea that everyone is controlled by fate, and the view that people are free to make their own choices. I believe that I can make my own decisions, however the flipside to choosing is that although I can make my own decisions, I cannot choose the consequences that come from a decision. For example, if I choose to smoke, then I cannot choose the consequences of that action. I could be grounded by my parents; I could become addicted, or even develop a smoking related illness. Integral to this debate is God. Personally, I think that God guides everyone in the choices that they face everyday. Another example comes from the tragedy of 9/11. Several people had ominous feelings about reporting to work or going on a plane that day. These feelings or promptings undoubtedly saved the lives of the people of who listened to them. The people whose lives were saved still had a choice whether to listen to that prompting or to ignore it and continue on with the routine of their lives. The point I’m trying to make is that mankind is not ruled by some inescapable notion of fate. Everyone is free to act according to their desires. No one can choose the consequences of their actions. The key then is to make the best decisions possible in order to live life to the fullest. By making decisions that benefit ourselves, and those around us, we can make the most out of the agency that we have.
In conclusion, I would like to indulge on personal note. In my own life, I've adopted the philosophy that I can’t control everything in life. Just as I have my ability to choose, so do those around me, and I can’t control the decisions they make, and especially the consequences of their decisions. Accidents will happen, but I remind myself that I can control my own actions and reactions to events around me. I know that in my own life, God has guided me in making wise decisions beyond my own wisdom. Fate doesn’t exist to me; fate is an excuse for those who can’t accept the mistakes of their own foolish decisions.
good essay, adam! i enjoyed reading it. what did you make on it?
just got the scores back today....i got the highest grade in the class! mrs. ridolfi asked me "are u always used to doing the best in the class?" because i made a 100 on my vocab essay. anyway, this one was only a 94, but i was still really pleased..all the errors were grammatical, so im going for the 100 on the next one!
Great job, Adam!
hey, that's great, adam. and you said you didn't like english...most classes are more fun when you're doing good in them!
thats true! i think mrs. ridlofi really likes me now that ive shown the class up in writing. ironically, she really likes neatness, which i didnt know before i typed my paper. i just typed it beacuse i can type faster than i write, and she bragged on how neat mine was! whew...thank goodness i was lazy and typed it...haha!