Book Smart

Morpheus: Do you believe in fate, Neo?
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: Because I don’t like the idea that I’m not in control of my life.
-The Matrix

The ideas of fate and destiny are not very popular nowadays. This is especially true in America, where everyone clings to the right to live the life of their dreams. The idea that our lives have already been determined by any sort of fate, destiny, God, or gods is almost repugnant. Compared to past societies, we are unusually enamored with the concepts of freedom and free will.

It strikes me as odd that opponents of fate pick and choose what they control and what is out of their hands. How many people will say “I control my life,” yet still believe in concepts like true love? (I know most people won’t claim to believe in true love – but how many of them still watch movies like Serendipity, Enchanted, Moulin Rouge, and the like?) When someone succeeds, we tell them “You did it!” At failure, we say “It wasn’t meant to be.” At an unconscious level, at least, the idea of fate has survived into the 21st century.

It is interesting to note, though, the scale on which people deal with fate. Think of the topics it comes up around. Jobs. Relationships. Marriage. Politics. War. Theology.

When was the last time you heard someone say, “The universe can’t make me grow a zit this morning – I’m the master of my own destiny!”?

Personally, I believe that both sides of the coin are true – I like having the cake and eating it. I believe in free will – I experience every day. I also believe that everything that has happened, will happen, and is happening is, in a way, pre-known or pre-destined. As humans, we move linearly through time. Constant forward progression. But imagine a being existing outside of time. This being would be able to observe all moments of time at once, without being confined to present, past, and future awareness.

At this point, the ideas of fate and destiny become a magician’s trick. The future exists in a solid state that is both unchangeable and unwritten. We have complete freedom to enact what we are destined to do.

I could try to keep describing this concept, but instead I’m going to say this – my understanding of fate and freedom was heavily shaped by Edwin A. Abbott’s Flatland. If you can find a copy, read this exceptionally short and exceptionally deep book.