"Timey-Wimey"

“Time is actually this big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.” --The Doctor

What is time, really? Is it a “river flowing straight and true,” according to the Prince of Persia? Are we really in control of our own destinies? Or are we simply at a point in a predetermined continuum of events, as if we're just characters in a novel, with our paths ordained from the very beginning? Forrest Gump deals with this same issue question in the movie that shares his name. He came to the conclusion that, “maybe it's a little bit of both.”

It is true that we are destined for great things. How is it that we achieve our purpose in life? We can try to defy the story God has written for us by sitting around doing nothing, but how do we know that is not a crucial step towards our destinies? Suppose that you're simply sitting on the couch, watching TV, when you stumble upon a story on the news that truly moves you? Suppose that you see a huge crisis unfolding in another part of the world, and you are so horrified at what you are viewing, that a part of you is screaming on the inside to take action? One would argue that the only way to break free of this concept of destiny by doing nothing, being in a state of eternal contentment, hiding away somewhere, and just meditating, but perhaps even that will lead you to some profound, universal truth that would change the course of history? So do we really have a choice in what our futures hold? Perhaps we are locked into a scenario along the lines of “The Matrix,” in which the idea of choice is only an illusion, and that we have this illusion of choice that we might be complacent with the system which holds us?

Arguably, if one is faced with a preordained fate, there might still be the hope of choosing not to accept that fate, and go a different route, and do something completely different? However, this would lead to the question of “Which came first? The chicken or the egg?” Do we make a choice in the fate of our destiny, or is it in fact our destiny not to choose what we believe is our destiny?

This debate may continue infinitely, but it will never take us anywhere. Each one of us is on their own spiritual journey. Even atheists have their internal struggles in life? 

The only way to answer any of these questions is to live your life, one day at a time, plan for the future, and enjoy the ride while you can.