Intuition and Life's Decisions: Is it Fate or Free Will?

[spiritalk]

Quite ironically, it is only by knowing our fates can we really have true free will!

Wouldn't that be a rather limited free will?  

Life is like a river.  There are stepping stones for us to walk.  They are kind of like a puzzle game where we can move forward, sideways, backwards, or diagonally.  All those choices at each and every step.  And there we are with our foot in the air trying to decide!  LOL

[spiritalk]

 I do not believe we are pre-programmed.  We are such unique individuals and our free will kicks in to guide our path.

I agree with you

But each and one of us carry our families genes, which gives us the characteristic of our Family.
Not necessarily only from Mother and Father, but from the line.

We as person can do the best out of our life, with our free will and our abilities, but we are given an "head start" ,from birth with, with our genes, that be both for good and bad.

But yes...we are unique...and we have a responsibility toward ourselves, to do the best out of our life, and that can only happen if we use our free will, else you will live on the chance....just like a boat on the sea that haven't a steering wheel, where the wind act as karma

And don't we often disappoint our parents or other family members by going our own path?  And what of those that work their way out of the chosen life style of their parents for good or bad?

[Rhutobello]

 I do not believe we are pre-programmed.  We are such unique individuals and our free will kicks in to guide our path.

I agree with you

But each and one of us carry our families genes, which gives us the characteristic of our Family.
Not necessarily only from Mother and Father, but from the line.

We as person can do the best out of our life, with our free will and our abilities, but we are given an "head start" ,from birth with, with our genes, that be both for good and bad.

But yes...we are unique...and we have a responsibility toward ourselves, to do the best out of our life, and that can only happen if we use our free will, else you will live on the chance....just like a boat on the sea that haven't a steering wheel, where the wind act as karma

And don't we often disappoint our parents or other family members by going our own path?  And what of those that work their way out of the chosen life style of their parents for good or bad?

Yes...that I think is a common statement....as young we know it all.........until we become older........and still don't know everything

Genes is one thing...it is a "blueprint" on "how we are build, look, and what strong, and weak sides we have...it also deliver weakness, or strength in medical view....it is a starting point..... a model...and it is utilized in development of pets, "Food stock animals",plants and so on....hopefully never in Humans....but the thought was there by the Nazi, and they even started a program for it....the Aryan race, which should become superior to other.

How your life develop is, in some degree, up to your Free will, and how you manage to utilize those strength you have got from birth.....but how you shall live your life, genes will not "control", that is up to you, (because you are able to override any inherent way to do thing),together with the Will of those you interact with.

[Zetascair20086]

"Quite ironically, it is only by knowing our fates can we really have true free will!

Wouldn't that be a rather limited free will?  

Life is like a river.  There are stepping stones for us to walk.  They are kind of like a puzzle game where we can move forward, sideways, backwards, or diagonally.  All those choices at each and every step.  And there we are with our foot in the air trying to decide!  LOL"

Well we always have free will, we just don't always know where it will lead us. If we knew the results of our actions ahead of time we would make better decisions, be able to change our paths and be masters of our fates. That IMO is the truest expression of free will.

[Rhutobello]

"
Well we always have free will, we just don't always know where it will lead us. If we knew the results of our actions ahead of time we would make better decisions, be able to change our paths and be masters of our fates. That IMO is the truest expression of free will.

Quiet right.....but again, it is then only seen from our own nose tip.

If we lived alone in the world, and only took on task we had abilities for, or had possibilities learn, and means to see it through....then we had an ultimate free will inside this.

But we don't live alone...we have to adjust/depend to others free will.
We have to adjust to the societies "limitations"
We have to adjust to "demand limitation" No use to educate as "Deer Hunter" if there is no Deer....said as "picture"
and so on.....

When we talk about free will, then we talk about the fact that we in most situations have a choice.
If we did not have a FREE WILL and a choice, then we could put down our "LEGAL SYSTEM" which builds on the fact that we are responsible for our actions, and that can only be true if we possess a FREE WILL!
This you will also see pictured in people who suffer from Mental illness, and who are diagnosed that they was not "in mental control", they can't be judged for their actions, and is put in treatment instead.

Free Will are not the same that we all can be President, Pope, or write a best seller.....BUT FREE WILL is that we all can try to achieve it, if we feel we have the capacity for it.....but there is never given any Guaranties that you succeed in your struggle!

[Zetascair20086]

True there are limitations. If your crippled no amount of determination is going to change that fact. Circumstances occur that we have no control over, such as natural disasters which free will can't control. We also can't control the will of other. But we always have the ability to chose how we will react. If we can predict things ahead of time we will have more time to prepare for these things, even if some things are unchangeable.

[shantipath]

I posted this question and then my life took over, keeping me away for a few days, and I am back to see the discussion going full swing!  :)

I can only add a few more logs to the fire of discussion here, as I agree with several points made by all of you. I do believe that there is an element of free will that plays in our lives and shapes its direction. I also believe in my intuition, which has always come to me as a piece of foreknowledge to guide me. I agree with another poster who said that the Universe will figure out a way for us to learn the lessons of this life, although I would like to add: provided it is what one's soul is supposed to learn.

I am not able to express my points about the spiritual or esoteric as articulately as many of you can. I think some of my additional points perhaps echo what Zetascair20086 succinctly said in his/her last post. Yet I want to add the following to the discussion:

1) I believe in the law of Cause and Effect. Our acts and decisions can have wide-ranging impact on our own lives as well as others. So what I consider as Free Will in making a decision in my life could impinge on another life, which wasn't expecting the impact, and hence might consider the consequence of my act, which they are made to face, as 'Fate'. As a mundane example, I make the stupid 'Free Will' decision of driving a car and watching the exquisitely beautiful nymph who is walking down the street and accidentally hit and injure another pedestrian who was following all the rules and being careful. The injured pedestrian wasn't planning for this to happen and so could potentially think that this particular event was due to his/her Fate.

2) The life we currently live is but a continuum of our soul's existence in this life and in whatever state it was prior to this life. For our conscious mind this life is the only 'reality' we know but our soul goes farther than this life. So what may appear as Fate in this life may actually be the effect of something coming from the prior existence of our soul. I am not necessarily talking of Karma but of decisions the soul may have made about the path it will take. For those who believe that the soul reincarnates, the 'Fated' events of the current life could have been in the making in several past lives. I sometimes wonder if some of us are passing through several 'lives' in one existence, as one can change the direction and mental approach to one's life 180 degrees, just by the decisions one takes.

3) The experiences and emotions we undergo when we live through a decision we have made through our Free Will can affect how we make future decisions. For example, going back to my 3 unhappy decisions and the one good option which I didn't take: The fallout on me of my first unhappy decision was great. A few years later I was at a crossroads in my life, facing unhappy option number 2 and the good option which my gut endorsed. I was still so full of self-doubt and fear of failure, emerging out of decision 1, that I did not feel strong enough or good enough to avail the good option, which gave me an inner sense of peace, and instead selected unhappy option number 2, about which I was later very uneasy (after I made the decision). So unhappy decision number 1 led me straight into unhappy decision number 2, which further enhanced self-doubt and fear, leading me to unhappy decision number 3. So, in a sense I Fated myself to the unhappy decisions, as long as I stayed with the negative mindset. However, when I consciously broke out of it, using my Free Will and new awareness of myself, I was able to view my future decisions with more insight and strength.

I hope I haven't rambled in circles, as I was tired while writing this, but I wanted to spew it out before I forgot what I wanted to say!  :)

[spiritalk]

I agree with another poster who said that the Universe will figure out a way for us to learn the lessons of this life, although I would like to add: provided it is what one's soul is supposed to learn.


The point is.........nothing is predetermined to the point that we can not learn from every experience in our lives.  Our soul is here to learn - there is no predetermined 'supposed' to it.  Never say never to a lesson of life.

Circumstances occur that we have no control over, such as natural disasters which free will can't control.

I wonder......we have warning systems in place when a disaster is going to strike.  Take Katrina for instance.  It was building out in the ocean and all along the eastern seaboard people started getting antsy about where it would strike.  Who had the strongest thoughts and made it happen in New Orleans?  Could collective thinking (consciousness) have played a part?

[bryanskrantz]

I believe that we have free will but I also believe we have an ultimate destiny. I believe that our free will are the choices we make in our current life that ultimately lead to said destiny. The choices we make in this life will ultimately lead us in our path to the next.

[spiritalk]

There is one destiny none of us can escape - death of the physical body.  It is predetermined.  (Sometimes I think it is written when it is our time).  It is important to our growth and progress as a soul to learn and grow in the time alloted.  

Live like there is no tomorrow
Dance like no one is watching
And love unconditionally through it all

[Mystic Mechanic]

One of the biggest challenges, gifts of awareness, we have faced since the beginning of time is accepting and utilizing our own power.  What a great place this is, so many chances to act and learn.  Call it fate or free will, we act with consciousness on some level, whether in the physical or in our own etheric playground.

[Mystic Mechanic]

The concept of fate serves us, giving us something to relate or connect to when we have no better answer.  

The problem with fate, though, is that it isn't truthful, giving us nothing concrete to connect with and nothing to empower or enrich.

What if we change the word "fate" to "opportunity"?   The nthre is a connectivity to our free will whether we accept/realize it or not.

[Graceofthespirits]

I don't believe there is anything called fate, I believe that every day is a new lesson to live through, learning to listen to our intuition, to work on a goal we what to reach. To just live every day and be who we are. Making mistake or not following you intuition is a learning experience i believe you are to make.

[bryanskrantz]

While I was watching videos of people channeling beings like the Archangels, Tobias, and an entity called Kryon, they have all said the same thing.  It is our Free Will to choose weather or not we believe in destiny, karma, all of that.  That's the beauty of the human condition.

[Zetascair20086]

"2) The life we currently live is but a continuum of our soul's existence in this life and in whatever state it was prior to this life. For our conscious mind this life is the only 'reality' we know but our soul goes farther than this life. So what may appear as Fate in this life may actually be the effect of something coming from the prior existence of our soul. I am not necessarily talking of Karma but of decisions the soul may have made about the path it will take. For those who believe that the soul reincarnates, the 'Fated' events of the current life could have been in the making in several past lives. I sometimes wonder if some of us are passing through several 'lives' in one existence, as one can change the direction and mental approach to one's life 180 degrees, just by the decisions one takes."

Well we chose where we will restart but once life begins there are no guarantees. Our decisions from other lives would continue to influence our current decisions so you could say our natures incline us down a path that can continue for several lives before reaching some final climax. But we can always change that path.

"3) The experiences and emotions we undergo when we live through a decision we have made through our Free Will can affect how we make future decisions. For example, going back to my 3 unhappy decisions and the one good option which I didn't take: The fallout on me of my first unhappy decision was great. A few years later I was at a crossroads in my life, facing unhappy option number 2 and the good option which my gut endorsed. I was still so full of self-doubt and fear of failure, emerging out of decision 1, that I did not feel strong enough or good enough to avail the good option, which gave me an inner sense of peace, and instead selected unhappy option number 2, about which I was later very uneasy (after I made the decision). So unhappy decision number 1 led me straight into unhappy decision number 2, which further enhanced self-doubt and fear, leading me to unhappy decision number 3. So, in a sense I Fated myself to the unhappy decisions, as long as I stayed with the negative mindset. However, when I consciously broke out of it, using my Free Will and new awareness of myself, I was able to view my future decisions with more insight and strength."

Going with what I said above, I feel this is more a case of cause and effect. Based on past decisions we can predict how we will behave and react in the future. But as long as we can change it it is not predetermined.

"I wonder......we have warning systems in place when a disaster is going to strike.  Take Katrina for instance.  It was building out in the ocean and all along the eastern seaboard people started getting antsy about where it would strike.  Who had the strongest thoughts and made it happen in New Orleans?  Could collective thinking (consciousness) have played a part?"

Natural disasters seem pretty random to me, although animals especially seem able to be able to pick up on them before they arrive.

"There is one destiny none of us can escape - death of the physical body.  It is predetermined.  (Sometimes I think it is written when it is our time).  It is important to our growth and progress as a soul to learn and grow in the time alloted. "

For now, although life extension technology will likely someday make death a choice, well aside from accidental death that is.