Choice and Outcome

I am an intense person. I think and analyze a lot. Not my design but by default. I have so many questions that it begs answering. I do get answers for some of them and it has made me grow and there are still some that begs answering.

It was in the midst of my mid day musings that I finally understood the concept of predestination; how every event has already been pre-programmed and the outcome decided even before the event is to occur. That initially threw the idea/right of freedom of choice and free will out the window for me. The argument is: If the outcome has already been decided, and not by the do-er, then how can anyone have any free rein over the event itself?

I was struggling in the dark with this for a while.

For most of my Life, I have been, as many of us are, obsessed with OUTCOMES. How will it all end? We all want to know. Yes, it is important. But what is most telling, and most would not see, is the fact that we are basing our decisions on the outcome.

An easier analogy:

You have (already in possession) a match to play at 8pm. You somehow find out that the game is rigged and that you will lose anyway (decided outcome), no matter how hard or how well you play. Would you still play?

Many of us, after knowing outcome, will decide whether or not to play. More of us will choose not to (Me included) and fewer will decided to play.

However, how many of us, will use introspect to decide. Regardless of the externalities, which in this case, the outcome of the match. Introspection requires one to question motivation, purpose, desire or cause.

I, for one, am greatly influenced by outcome before deciding. If I knew, I would lose a match, I would think twice about playing. I may still play in the end, but I would not stop to think to understand why I made the decision. This is dangerous because I would simply focus on outcome or changing the outcome while playing. And then after losing, berate myself and enslave myself to Predestination.

If we could all could, stop and think.

We have so much in possession right now. People, places, events, property.. etc. If we stopped to think what each of it/them mean to us, we would be able to find meaning, cause, motivation, desire in all of them. That is the very essence of Life. That will keep us growing and going when the monotony of routine causes us to feel hollow and empty.

To introspect; to look at the match in its entirety, to focus on what we already have (skill set, passion for the game, love of sportsmanship, spirit of competitiveness) instead of focusing on what we do not have (outcome of the game), would make all of us happier. Because sometimes, even when the outcome is favourable (we will win the game), it becomes lost to us (while we play) because we lack introspection.

Remember, the outcome is merely an event. It happens. You win. You lose. In a blink of an eye, it is over. It is what comes before and after the event that counts. You could say that Predestination makes quick stops but it is Freedom of Choice that runs the show.

To put it into drawing:

Choice-Choice-Choice-Choice-Predestination-Choice-Choice-Choice-Predestination

It is more difficult, no?

But asking such questions will provide a greater meaning to our decisions to act because it gives us ownership while letting Predestination do their own thing. And when we have ownership, outcome bears less significance.

It is another way of saying that it is partly in the journey not the destination.

There is ownership: that debunks the notion that we do no have freedom of choice. It has been said that what differentiates angels from us is the fact that we have freedom of choice. And I do not believe that Predestination takes that from us; it merely determines outcome, but it does not make the choice of whether or not to play for us.

So take ownership. Let Predestination worry about the rest.

I will give you some time to digest all of this.

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