When it comes to the greater powers that determine the order of life, I believe in fate. There are many skeptics who tear down the idea of everything happening for a reason, saying things like “if fate was real then why do the innocent die?” and “if all things happen for a reason then why do bad things happen to people who don’t deserve it?”. I think that in some ways these are valid points, but at the same time I have seen too much in my life and experienced too many moments when the unbelievable and the amazing has happened to not believe in fate.
As a believer in God, my understanding of fate is one that fits in with an idea of religion. I believe that fate is God’s will, his way of determining how things happen in the world. I believe in fate as the concept that all things happen for a reason, that there are absolutely no coincidences. I believe that each decision that we have made and the outcomes from that decision are all part of a greater plan, that there is never random chance. In some ways I also believe that in this concept of fate there is still some room for free will. We are still able to make our own decisions, but these decisions are all part of fate. Each of our decisions are made for a reason, even if we are not aware of this reason, and each of these decisions corresponds with other’s decisions and God’s greater plan for all creatures and everything that exists.
Even with this fairly logical explanation, there is still much room for doubt and skepticism. I’m not sure if I would really believe in fate as completely as I do if there were not specific moments in my life that worked out in ways that could not be possible if the world was left up to chance. I first begin to believe in chance in middle school. As an eleven year-old, my opinion of chance was one that wasn’t based in solid reasoning or really in life experiences. I simply liked the idea of fate and so I decided, as easy as it is when you’re still young enough...