Destiny vs choice: What is your life story?

Is our destiny pre-determined? Will it be according to the lines on your palm, the interplay of stars and planets during your birth, your Zodiac sign (BTW Roman or Hindu calendar?), the tarot cards that a parrot picks for you, tea leaves, fortune cookies... or is it the gemstones or numbers that are lucky or unlucky for you?

Or are outcomes determined by our actions? There are often things we do in life that we regret. Some people may shrug it off as life lessons, and others may dwell and repent on these mistakes for years. Yet some others may just submit to it as the cruel hand of fate.

Consider for instance the decision on whether or not you will go to the gym on a particular day. Or how religiously will you be able to stick to that diet. What about a daunting project deliverable or sales target? If everything is pre-determined, why do we make any extra effort or beat ourselves at all?

The conundrum of destiny vs free will is not just a question we juggle with every day. It is in fact quite a profound scientific question, as it even challenges scientific understanding of the universe.

Science often operates under the assumption of determinism, where every event is the result of preceding causes and conditions. If the universe is fully deterministic, then every action, thought, and decision could theoretically be predicted if one had complete knowledge of all the variables involved. Ergo, free will is an illusion, as all our choices could be the inevitable outcome of prior causes.

In the 1980s, neuroscientist Benjamin Libet conducted experiments that suggested that the brain makes decisions before we become consciously aware of them. In his studies, participants were asked to press a button at a moment of their choosing, and Libet found that brain activity indicating the decision to press the button occurred milliseconds before the participants were aware of making the decision. If our brain decides before we do, do we really have free will, or is it just an illusion?

On the other hand, the concept of free will implies that humans have the ability to make choices independent of these deterministic processes. It suggests that individuals can influence outcomes in ways that are not entirely dictated by past events. This idea is difficult for science to reconcile because it introduces a level of unpredictability that seems to contradict the deterministic nature of the physical world.

Science seeks to understand the universe through observation, experimentation, and logic, but the concepts of destiny and free will challenge these methods by introducing elements that are difficult to measure, predict, or even define. Therefore, the question touches on the limits of what science can currently explain about consciousness, causality, and the nature of reality itself.

The story of you

Do you believe in miracles? If not, look in the mirror! Aren’t you, with your name, form, life story, joys, sorrows, trials, tribulations and so much more… the greatest miracle of all?

You must have seen this extraordinary skill called micro-engraving - the ability to write words on a grain of rice. Several Indian artists are adept at this skill. While standard artists can write up to 20 words on a grain, the more gifted or skilled artisans can write up to 100 words! The size of the text can be as little as a few micro metres. This extraordinary feat is achieved using fine needles or lasers.

This is a high point of human intelligence. But what about the intelligence that created you? Where was your incredible, ongoing life story written? The entire story of your life is present in a period (at least the potential life story). Yes, the full stop at the end of the previous sentence, or even this one.

That is the size of a zygote or fertilized egg that you are when you first step foot into this world from the world of nothingness. The zygote apparently carries a complete set of DNA—half from the mother and half from the father. This genetic material holds the blueprint for every aspect of the future person's physical traits, predispositions, and potential, from eye color to susceptibility to certain diseases.

Within this tiny cell lies the potential for the entire development of a human being, containing all the instructions necessary to build the body, brain, and even aspects of personality. Try searching for a life story inside that period!

This is also what we have learnt from the Samkhya philosophy discussion over the past few weeks. Samkhya says that the potential of the effect is present in the cause. A seed has the potential to become a certain kind of tree in the right conditions.

Of course, how our life eventually turns out would be an even more complex matter. The potential could be encoded in the genetic and karmic factors that influence the development and future characteristics of the individual.

The potential of a life story can be said to be influenced by two factors - Mahat (universal intellect) and Ahamkara (individual ego). These principles provide the foundational blueprint and individuality, respectively, that guide the development of the life form.

And then, external conditions and choices also play a significant role in determining the final outcome, just as how environmental factors affect the growth of a tree. Finally, free will (represented by conscious decisions and actions) interacts with inherent potential (encoded in the zygote) and circumstances to shape the individual’s life story.

So prakriti (nature) provides the material and fundamental conditions necessary for development, but it does not dictate a fixed outcome. Instead, it sets the stage for potential manifestation. The outcomes are influenced by the interplay of internal potential and external factors.

So what should be your core learning from this? While I do not claim to know much about astrology, numerology, etc, one can conclude that you do have an inherent potential, influenced by genetic and karmic factors, as well as your specific life conditions and experiences.

While life and the world around us present a framework of potential shaped by the interplay of Prakriti and the Gunas, our conscious choices are the brushstrokes that paint our unique life story. The inherent potential within us, like a seed with the potential to become a tree, is influenced by external conditions and the balance of the Gunas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Yet, it is our decisions and actions that ultimately shape how this potential unfolds. So the following statement from the serenity prayer becomes so much more relevant:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

In essence, while we may not control the initial conditions or the inherent potential, we possess the power to steer our growth and transformation through conscious choices. This interplay between inherent potential and personal agency highlights the profound influence we have in crafting our own journey within the grand design of existence.

Article authored with inputs from ChatGPT AI ?