Fate vs. Choice

Fate vs. Choice

I have always operated under the notion that fate is what will happen, while choice is what determines your fate. I make my own choices, but in doing so, I ensure my own fate, whether knowingly or unknowingly. This idea comes from the concept that physics and the universe in general is one massive domino effect. From the instant the universe began, based on the laws of physics, only one thing could have happened, and it is happening right now. There was no conceivable way that I would not be typing this right now. 

That isn't to say that I had no say in this matter. I did make a conscious decision to take the class, and to sit down and start typing. The Universe didn't force me to do anything. I am a willing participant in fate, because I was "fated" to be. Others may not feel the same, and that is because they are "fated" to be. Does this alter how I behave? No, for one reason: It is not supposed to, not for me. The only impact that fate has on my life is that I feel somewhat comforted knowing that no matter how it can play out, it is supposed to play out like that. 

In Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, the exact same logic follows. Oedipus had all of the choice in the situation. The difference came in that he and many other characters, such as Laios and Iocaste, were alerted of what would happen before it did. They made all of the choices that led them to the ending of the story, and the ending is how the story was supposed to play out. The irony comes from their attempt to avoid fate actually being their fate. 

To conclude, choice and fate are not mutually exclusive. Fate is the overall existence of everything playing out, while choice is the play-by-play of how it all plays out. People live life how they are supposed to, which is how they live life. The logic, in an oddly fitting infinite loop, confirms itself, the exact way it is supposed to, just like fate. 

Blog 1

Fate vs. choice has been an issue discussed for years and years. Personally I believe that god is all knowing, but at the same time I also believe that he gave us the freedom of choice. With these beliefs I fall under the choice side because you determine your fate. It might be the American dream that all Americans have that an individual determines how successful they are. The rags to riches story is a prime example of something that the US thrives on while most other countries do not believe that. What the rags to riches story shows is that the average person has the choice to accomplish whatever they want.

Now most people that argue against choice saying that fate already determined your choice, but I do not believe that because why would god give us free will and not allow us to use it? Why would he allow Adam and Eve to disobey him if that meant a battle for eternity with the devil? Those are just a few biblical examples. I also like to consider the optimistic view that your success is not predetermined, but earned through hard work and effort. This is a more optimistic view rather then saying you have no control over what happens. This is why I believe choice over fate.

Fate vs. Choice

Fate vs. Choice

The debate between fate and choice has been happening since ancient times. Whether one takes precedent over the other in deciding one’s future can be argued both way. Fate implies that any person has a chosen destiny, and no matter what they do, they will always follow down that path. The other, choice, gives one the option to do what they please and make decisions on what is best for them. While choice is almost always seen as the better option, Oedipus in Oedipus Rex learns the hard way that one does not always have a choice in their destiny. Oedipus was destined from birth to murder his father and marry his mother and as much as he and his parents tried to run from this fate, Oedipus fulfills it. No matter how hard he tried, fate always had a hand in Oedipus’s future, he had no choice.

While Oedipus Rex is a tragic tale, it is not a true representation of life. In Hinduism, the religion both my parents follow, your destiny is determined by how you behaved in your past life. If you were a good person, you would be treated well, if not, this life will haunt you. There is however a chance for redemption though making good choices. This is the way I choose to look at it. While you cannot choose who you're born to, or how much money your parents have, you have the choice in how you live your life and how hard you work to achieve your dreams. Hinduism teaches you that life is a blend of both fate and choice. No one can change who they are but they can choose who they want to be.

Fate vs Choice

Choices can lead to fate. Fate is not a predetermined path, it is the path that one is set on due to their actions and choices. For example, because of the choices my parents have made, I am on track to graduate high school and attend college. If my parents had not sent me to Independent, I would be ultimately less prepared and may not have found my calling for physics. Fate is what happens directly after a decision. This is why fate can be changed because of one's choices.

I do not believe Oedipus has control over his own fate. While I believe that fate is not what determines the future, Oedipus lives in a Greek tragedy, and when something is "fate" there is no running away from it. Oedipus tried multiple times to avoid his curse, but this only led to him diving deeper into it. He is not able to escape his fate. Therefore his choices can not change his future.

Fate vs. Choice

I believe everyone is solely in control over their lives, but that some things do and do not work out for a reason. Since I am strong in my faith, I don't believe in fate; I believe in God's plan. I believe that everyone has the power to control the path their life goes down, because we make our own choices and create our own paths, no matter what we are given to work with. However, when things do not go as planned and we have done everything in our power to control them, I believe that is God's plan shining through, and telling us to try something different. 

I have found this to be true in my own life because when others have expected me to fall down the "wrong" path, I stayed strong in the path I was (and still am) on. In Oedipus' life, Oedipus did not have control over his life. He was a helpless victim from the second he was born, and his life plan was preordained. Without the curse upon his family, Oedipus would not have made the same decisions that he mistakingly did. 

Fate Vs. Choice--Oedipus

This is a very complicated issue. Personally, I have a secular worldview, and don't really subscribe to beliefs about the supernatural, so logically, that rules out fate. Of course, none of this can be proven or disproven; it is simply the way I view the world based on what makes sense to me. Because I can not observe any real evidence that there is some divine plan, I personally believe that the future is unwritten, and that it is up to the individual to choose their own destiny.  I do, however, believe that people aren't necessarily in complete control of their own lives; there are simply way too many factors that influence the very complex and confusing phenomenon we call life. To put it simply, I do not believe that fate exists, nor do I believe that people are completely in control of their lives. Life is unpredictable, but I feel it is important for people to live each day as fully as possible, because it is a very precious and beautiful opportunity that may end at any point.

In the realms of Oedipus, I think Sophocles was leaning more towards fate. It is a fictional story based on a myth, so the idea of supernatural entities and their power of humanity doesn't seem all that far fetched when it comes to literary fiction, especially of a play written in Ancient Greece. I would say that the most compelling piece of evidence that supports Oedipus being fated, was the fact that every step he took trying to out run his fate, he was just moving closer to it. An example of this is when he moves away from his adoptive parents (who he thinks are his real parents) and runs into his biological father, kills him (unknowingly),  and sleeps with his mother (also unknowingly). This, in turn, fulfills the prophecy.

Fate v. Choice

In "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles, the question of fate versus choice is a big issue. A prophecy is placed on Oedipus that is said to determine his fate. Oedipus does not believe that the prophecy is true and that the oracle's tellings are not his fate because the events that he believes to be true. However, Oedipus is not aware of the truth behind the situations and he is blind to the fact that he has been fulfilling the prophecy without his knowing. It was said that he would kill his father and Oedipus was unaware of who his biological father was and who he had murdered. Oedipus' fate was told by the oracle and although Oedipus believed he was making the choices in his life, he actually had no choice at all. 

 

In life, fate is inevitable. I believe that God has a plan for every single person, and if they follow the Godly path then they will end up where they are meant to be. Every human has a purpose and their life has a certain meaning that will be fulfilled when they each the end of their life. Throughout everyday life people make certain choices that will lead up to and determine their fate. In my life, I believe that God has lead me to meet specific people so that they can teach me a lesson or lead me in the correct direction in life. God lead me to Westminster Woods and there I met people and learned lessons that have changed my outlook on life. I have full trust in that where ever I go in life and that the choices I make are compelled by God and that He will lead me to my fate. 

Blog #1 Response: Harrison Level

I do not believe that anyone has a fate in life to become this or that. I think that everyone is bound to the decisions that they make, and that there is no external force pushing someone to make one decision over another. The reasoning behind this is that everyone on this planet has free will to do whatever they want, even if it is against local laws. It may be illegal to steal something, but the person has free will to do so if they want; laws made by governments are there to discourage people from doing certain things by creating different consequences for different actions. Although people do have free will over their actions, maybe there is an external force making sure that certain things happening, but there is no way to prove that it exists, or does not exist.

Oedipus is just unfortunately put in a terrible place. The prophecy makes Oedipus decide to do certain things that lead him to sleeping with his mother, or killing his father. Without the prophecy, would Oedipus still have made the same mistakes? There is no solid answer to the question of whether fate truly exists or not. Maybe Oedipus's situation was completely coincidence, maybe it wasn't, who knows for sure.

Fate v. Choice

Since birth, Oedipus was cursed with the catastrophic fate stating that he would kill his father and wed his mother. In ancient Greek tragedies, no matter how hard a character tries to run away from their fate, it's following them like a shadow. Oedipus never had control of his life because he never had control of his fate. The orical's prophecies never fall short, and therefore Oedipus knew that whatever he chose to do, or chose to go, he would receive what his fate bestowed.

In my opinion, I believe in choice. Decisions in your life decide where you go and what mistakes you pay for. In my life, my parents got divorced while I was at a young age. My parents decided that my brothers and I would live fifty percent at each of their houses. Because of that choice, I was miserable. I hated repeatedly going back and forth between my parents' house trying to act happy. Once I got of age to decide on my own, I chose to live with my mom one fully. I can truthfully say I have never been happier.

Fate vs. Choice

I believe that everything is intentional, that everything happens for a specific and meaningful reason. I don't know if I would call it "fate" or "destiny", but I believe that nothing is a coincidence. Everything from major life events to simply dropping a cup of coffee happens for a reason and will make for different outcome. We hear stories all the time of minuscule things happening to people that end up saving their lives; like if someone misses the bus and it ends up crashing. Certain people and events serve a specific purpose in our lives that act as a ripple effect to the rest of our story.

However, we are given the freedom of choice in our lives. We have the option to do the things we want to do, which is why consequences exist. Oedipus' fate led him to make the decisions that led him to fulfilling the curse. He lives in a world in which the gods that reign over this life control every aspect of the people. He had no choice; the curse was going to happen no matter what he did to avoid it.

I think that in life, you control your own destiny, and the life you live is all about the cause and affect of your actions. If your life was completely based on fate, then there wouldn't really be any point to life in my opinion because no matter what you did, the outcome would be the same. Ones ability to control their own outcome is an essential part of human life. However, I do partly believe in fate in the sense that some things happen in your life that force you to make a choice, and some things can influence your decision, which in turn affects the rest of your life.

I do believe that Oedipus had control over his fate. Even though Oedipus made a conscious decision to try and avoid his fate, he still made a choice that affected the outcome of his life. Oedipus' would have completely avoided his fate if he wouldn't have made the choice to actively try and avoid it. This just goes to show how the choices a person makes are the ultimate factor in the outcome of their life, not their destiny.

Fate v. Choice

In the playwright "Oedipus Rex," fate and destiny are consistent themes that drive the plot. Oedipus is haunted by his inevitable fate and it is obvious that he does not have any choice or control of his life. Oedipus ignored the warnings of the oracle time and time again and because of this, his life ended in ruin. The only thing that makes Oedipus' life inevitably controlled by fate is the context of the story. Greeks believe that the oracle tells prophecies that are true so in result and in the context of the story, Oedipus' life is controlled by fate.

In my own life, I believe that my future is controlled by choice. Look at some incredibly famous and successful people that came from poverty, struggled with an abusive childhood, were homeless, etc. They made a conscious choice to improve their own life by working hard to become successful and. Fate would have said that their life would end in ruin, just like how they started their life. I don't think that my life is fated because of the situation I grew up in. I made a decision to live with my grandparents as a child and to remove myself from my parents toxic lifestyles, and because of this, I have the honor to attend a private school, be a dancer and chase my dreams.

Blog #1 Response: Eric Blonigen

I don't think we are "fated," at least, not in the way Sophocles portrays it. While I concede that there are many conditions, obstacles, and advantages which are given in a basically random fashion, beyond that, one always has some sort of choice. Nothing is stopping you from doing something out of left-field and mucking things up. Short of arguing the non-existence of free will, it seems pretty clear that people have a tendency of acting in ways that cannot, and probably will not, be predicted exactly.

Oedipus, on the other hand, lives in a land of perfect prophecies. If the gods will it, it will be so. This means that whatever Oedipus does, and no matter how different the rest of his life becomes from choosing this or that, Oedipus will always kill his dad and wed his mom. This is the sole constant, as it is what the oracles have foreseen. Thankfully for us, whatever higher power(s) govern our world have decided to take a distinctly hands-off approach. And so we are free to choose.

However, I could be wrong, but in the end, even if I only think I have free choice, without my future being told to me, what's the difference.

Blog #1: Fate Vs. Choice--Oedipus

What are your thoughts on fate vs. choice? Do you believe your life is  fated, or do you think you're solely in control of your life--making  choices that are not governed by fate? Explain your reasons for  believing in either fate or choice. In other words, give examples from your life that have contributed to your beliefs. Remember, this is an open, safe  forum. No idea squashing.


Then, do you think Oedipus has control  over his fate? If so, why? If not, why not?

Your post should be posted by midnight on Friday, September 16th. Two paragraph minimum. Do not post as a comment. Click "New Post," write your post and then click "Publish."

Welcome to the Class Blog!

Welcome to your class blog! You will be posting responses to prompts about themes in literature. These posts are intended to be a mix of analyses and introspection. My goal is that you connect what we are reading about in class to your personal life. Feel free to comment on each other's posts, but remember to keep the comments limited to constructive criticism and praise. Also, remember that you are writing for your English class. You should be cognizant of grammar, organization and sentence structure. Each entry should be a couple paragraphs or more. Your first is already posted. Happy Writing!