World Speakers’ Coalition Kuala Lumpur had their twelfth meeting at Brussels Beer Café at 3 Damansara in Petaling Jaya yesterday. Six of us were present, of which five are members and one a first-time guest.
Our host, Suriakumar offered an intriguing meeting theme, Fate versus Free Will – Life, Literature and Belief Systems.
A question that has plagued people for years is that of fate versus free will, being the defining factor of life. If we believe everything is predestined, I daresay life becomes pretty much pointless and even futile. Purpose has no meaning in life’s equation.
But is fate real? If everything is already mapped out, what would inspire change and why?
Yes, to me, fate is real, but it is not predestined by anybody else other than us. What people generally call destiny is nothing but what they essentially end up creating unconsciously.
The minute we start believing fate to be something that lies beyond our control, something that is inevitable, is when we do ourselves a grave disservice.
Life is what we make of it, and as human beings, this is where our power lies. Destiny unfolds with every thought, word, and action of ours. Although we might not get to choose the cards that life deals us with, the way we play them is all about our own free will.
Consider this. Once we accept that everything in life is dictated by fate, we will remain passive, adopting the path of least resistance.
Instead, we should look at obstacles as opportunities and overcome them.
Those who are inclined to believe in free will are inclined to be proactive, for they are prepared to act and not give up.
As Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo said, we are our fate through our action. By relying on self-effort in the present, we can decide our fate.
Spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar put it best: “Foolish people think about the past and how they could have done things differently, and feel sad. Just believe that whatever has happened was your fate. Whatever is going to happen is free will and live happily in the present”.
Anyway, we shared our notions on fate and free will. At times, they converged and at other times, they diverged. And we told our stories.
All of us spoke on Life. Although one speaker broached a wee bit on belief systems. God is the decider and the determiner of every person's destiny, the controller of every detail in every individual's life. And yet, God gave us volition – the free choice and free will to live our lives the way we desire.
And another brought up the Romeo and Juliet tragedy. In this romance between two young people from feuding families, Fate versus Free Will is a theme that renowned English playwright William Shakespeare explores in depth in his depiction of the star-crossed lovers.
The one regret the drinkers among us had with this place is that they had run out of Hoegaarden beer! What a bummer!
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