Is it true that our future is already determined and nothing we do will change it? I personally don’t think so. I believe that one’s fate is in one’s own hands. We shape our own future. We determine who we are going to become by the decisions we take and the actions that follow such decisions. Nobody can predict what the future holds for them, however, they do have the ability to shape it by their efforts and deeds.
Free will, and not fate, allows us the choice in making decisions that determine our future. Our future isn’t determined by any supernatural force, rather, they are determined by our own actions. People who have become successful in life have worked hard and have backed the effort with patience and resilience. They may have made good as well as bad decisions, but in the end it is the result of those decisions that determine whether they are successful or not. No divine power can bring them meaningful success if they do not put in the hard yards.
If Lionel Messi had stopped practicing his football skills and waited for fate to determine his future, he would not have become the household name he is today. It is not fate that makes Roger Federer win Grand Slam titles at age 36. Rather, it is the hard work that goes into developing his physical and mental preparedness for every game that is behind the longevity of his successful career.
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All people are born with some skill, some unique ability. However, that skill or ability needs honing and polishing, and over a period of time helps people embrace success. It is not as if Messi and Federer, or all successful people we know today, were destined to success. It was their choice of career followed by hard work that has made them what they are today. This is true for each one of us, we have the choice to determine who we wish to be, and then put in the hard work to make that dream come true.
Nelson Mandela always acted upon his free will. As a result, he chose a difficult path of rebellion rather than wait for fate to shape things. He spent many years in prison to free his country from apartheid. This was his own choice and not something that he had left for fate.
“I have noticed that even people who claim that everything is predetermined and nothing we do can change it, look before they cross the road”, asserted Stephen Hawking .
However, there may come certain times in our lives when it may seem that we are destined towards a certain fate even when we use our free will to make decisions. For example, we witnessed people being rescued alive from the debris of buildings, even one week after the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal. On the other hand, we have heard of people dying from slipping while taking a bath. These are some representative incidents that drive people to support the notion that fate can actually be deterministic. However, we need to refrain from making sweeping generalizations based on such one-off coincidental events.
To conclude, free will and not fate, is what shapes who we become in life. Throw luck into the mix, and there may be some element of luck that supports people’s success. Such luck should not be linked to fate, and should definitely not be treated as the basis for success in life. The things that have happened in our lives are a reflection of the choices we made. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.
Rijal is studying in Grade VIII at Premeir International School.
