Theoretically, there are a few things that happen by chance in our lives (we have no control over them) and there are some that happen because of our choices (we can control them).
But, may be, there is nothing called chances and choices! The choices we make are based on chance events.
I might choose to study engineering. But, my choice is influenced by other chance events, say, the attitude of my peers and the advice given to me by others. And, the attitude of my peers in turn depends on other chance events as well. Funny thought, really.
Perhaps, destiny is the word. May be, everything happens for a reason, and all our acts, irrespective of what we think, fall-in-line with some divine plan.
Everything we do have far reaching consequences. I recently read a fantastic novel, "The 5 people you meet in heaven". It is a different genre of short story that conveys the thought with great effect.
The way the world is inter-connected is fascinating. My decision today will affect the decision someone makes tomorrow. So, what if I took a different action today? We really have no idea.
With the decision I take at this moment, I am effectively, influencing the actions that many will take in future. An eerie thought, isn't it.
Steve Jobs, in one of the most motivational speeches recorded in history, said that life is all about connecting the dots. In the speech, Jobs shared 3 stories from his life to drive home this perception of life. For those of you, who haven't seen that video, make sure you see it because it is something that changes your attitude.
Here is a small excerpt from his inspiring speech:
If you believe in God, great! Because, the belief that God is in-charge and that whatever happens is for my best, is the best that can ever happen. Nothing else makes sense.
The belief that I am here not without reason stems from the fact that there is too much mystery and too many coincidences to believe otherwise. I didn't just happen to be here. I was 'placed' here, among these people, in this part of the world and at this point of time.
My life is the product of the choices man has been taking since his creation in response to all the chance events.
Whatever it may be, believe. Believe that nothing is a coincidence.
The word coincidence is not found in the dictionary of believers. There is a reason for everything. There is a reason why you are reading this.
Believe.
But, may be, there is nothing called chances and choices! The choices we make are based on chance events.
I might choose to study engineering. But, my choice is influenced by other chance events, say, the attitude of my peers and the advice given to me by others. And, the attitude of my peers in turn depends on other chance events as well. Funny thought, really.
Perhaps, destiny is the word. May be, everything happens for a reason, and all our acts, irrespective of what we think, fall-in-line with some divine plan.
Everything we do have far reaching consequences. I recently read a fantastic novel, "The 5 people you meet in heaven". It is a different genre of short story that conveys the thought with great effect.
The way the world is inter-connected is fascinating. My decision today will affect the decision someone makes tomorrow. So, what if I took a different action today? We really have no idea.
With the decision I take at this moment, I am effectively, influencing the actions that many will take in future. An eerie thought, isn't it.
Steve Jobs, in one of the most motivational speeches recorded in history, said that life is all about connecting the dots. In the speech, Jobs shared 3 stories from his life to drive home this perception of life. For those of you, who haven't seen that video, make sure you see it because it is something that changes your attitude.
Here is a small excerpt from his inspiring speech:
"Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
Connecting the dots simply mean that, all the events are inter-related and nothing happens without a reason. Once that belief sinks in, our perspective changes and we can learn more and understand life a bit more.
Now, applying this same thought to my life, I made a few discoveries. And I loved the exercise, because it was really comforting (:P). It might be fun (though meaningless) if you look at certain pivotal moments in your life and think of what would have happened had the decision been different.
Think of this-
Connecting the dots simply mean that, all the events are inter-related and nothing happens without a reason. Once that belief sinks in, our perspective changes and we can learn more and understand life a bit more.
Now, applying this same thought to my life, I made a few discoveries. And I loved the exercise, because it was really comforting (:P). It might be fun (though meaningless) if you look at certain pivotal moments in your life and think of what would have happened had the decision been different.
Think of this-
- If you hadn't gone that particular way; you wouldn't have met that person.
- If you hadn't been there, it wouldn't have happened.
- If you had sat with a different person on the first day of your school/college, you would never have had that great friend.
- If you had marked that answer correctly in the entrance exam, you would probably have got admission in a different college
T
These are thoughts on some of the seemingly minute incidents which would have shaped us into becoming what we are now.
You can also apply the same idea to a larger scale, to events since stone age or even earlier.
What could be the reason behind all those massacres and bombings and killings? What could be the 'reason' behind all the atrocities committed by the IS? What reason could there be behind Holocaust? These are questions which no one can find an answer to.
Connecting the dots at a macroscopic level would be impossible considering all the variables involved. However, at a microscopic, that is, personal level, one can always apply this and see how our life has been shaped by chance events or choice whatever one calls it.
There are other aspects to this line of thought. We read daily of unfortunate accidents taking away the lives of many. The fact that we are still living is a miracle, when we think about it. We just don't appreciate that fact enough.
The fact that I was born into this world is another miracle, given the chances of my parents finding each other. Why didn't Hitler get killed in a road accident or suffer a heart attack while they were young? Or, what would have happened if Einsteins dad had married someone else - would Einstein have happened?
If I had been born and brought up in the ecosystem like that in Afghanistan or Iraq, would I have become another Ajmal Kasab? What would have happened if Bin Laden was born here in India - would he have become a terrorist?
Likewise, am I what my ecosystem has made me? Why am I here? Is there someone out there controlling everything, moving the pieces as in a chessboard, planning my life and my future?
Life is full of questions; questions without answers. That is what makes it so exciting to many. No one can ever know what could have happened, had one made a different choice or if something else had happened. Again, the truth is that, nothing is in my control, but the present. That too, only partially.
We might have no idea as to how our decisions are influencing that of others'. We will be clueless as to why certain things have happened in our lives. But, we can take comfort in the thought that it is happening for a reason, whatever that reason might be.
You can also apply the same idea to a larger scale, to events since stone age or even earlier.
What could be the reason behind all those massacres and bombings and killings? What could be the 'reason' behind all the atrocities committed by the IS? What reason could there be behind Holocaust? These are questions which no one can find an answer to.
Connecting the dots at a macroscopic level would be impossible considering all the variables involved. However, at a microscopic, that is, personal level, one can always apply this and see how our life has been shaped by chance events or choice whatever one calls it.
There are other aspects to this line of thought. We read daily of unfortunate accidents taking away the lives of many. The fact that we are still living is a miracle, when we think about it. We just don't appreciate that fact enough.
The fact that I was born into this world is another miracle, given the chances of my parents finding each other. Why didn't Hitler get killed in a road accident or suffer a heart attack while they were young? Or, what would have happened if Einsteins dad had married someone else - would Einstein have happened?
If I had been born and brought up in the ecosystem like that in Afghanistan or Iraq, would I have become another Ajmal Kasab? What would have happened if Bin Laden was born here in India - would he have become a terrorist?
Likewise, am I what my ecosystem has made me? Why am I here? Is there someone out there controlling everything, moving the pieces as in a chessboard, planning my life and my future?
Life is full of questions; questions without answers. That is what makes it so exciting to many. No one can ever know what could have happened, had one made a different choice or if something else had happened. Again, the truth is that, nothing is in my control, but the present. That too, only partially.
We might have no idea as to how our decisions are influencing that of others'. We will be clueless as to why certain things have happened in our lives. But, we can take comfort in the thought that it is happening for a reason, whatever that reason might be.
| T |
If you believe in God, great! Because, the belief that God is in-charge and that whatever happens is for my best, is the best that can ever happen. Nothing else makes sense.
The belief that I am here not without reason stems from the fact that there is too much mystery and too many coincidences to believe otherwise. I didn't just happen to be here. I was 'placed' here, among these people, in this part of the world and at this point of time.
My life is the product of the choices man has been taking since his creation in response to all the chance events.
Whatever it may be, believe. Believe that nothing is a coincidence.
The word coincidence is not found in the dictionary of believers. There is a reason for everything. There is a reason why you are reading this.
Believe.
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