Predestination

Predestination, the idea that your future is all laid out and inevitable, is an old and tempting concept. True? Well, like most things, yes and no.

The Greeks had the concept of Fate, Hindus and Buddhists have the concept of karmic determination, and among Christians, there is the bizarre concept of election. John Calvin taught that our salvation, or lack there of, was determined by God before our birth.

If all of our life is predetermined, this whole life is but a sad joke. The idea that we have no choices is depressing; of course, Calvin was not known to be a barrel of laughs.

The concept seems to have validity because we look back, see how things went, and have an idea that it seems a logical progression. Event A caused Event B, and so on. Hindsight, however, is not 20-20; other possibilities existed and simply were not taken up.

What of concepts like karma? They certainly exist and it is true that your circumstances propel you down certain paths but, propel is not the same as compel. You can vary the path to a great extent can even leave it. It may be difficult, so difficult that it is unlikely, but you so have options.

You do not, however, have unlimited free will. I may decide tomorrow that I am going to play center for the Lakers next year, but no matter how much will I have, it is not going to happen.

Remember when Cain was about to bash Abel; a voice told him that he 'may choose to do what is right.' He did not, but the option was there.

I like to look on life as a nice bit of jazz, There is a theme, a melody, but, within that melody, there is a lot of room for improvisation.