American author Joseph Campbell
said, "Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were
only walls." I am a believer in the universe. It seems that once I open a figurative door
for myself, the universe opens others that I may be interested in walking
through. Is life just one big game of
Deal or No Deal in which some “other” presents us with opportunities that we
can choose to accept or renounce in lieu of potentially bigger, better
prizes?
I find this idea fascinating
for a couple of reasons. First, if we can somehow choose to believe that
the universe cares about us at all, we might be so inclined to give the
universe credit for the good things that come into our lives. If we find
ourselves suddenly happy after a period of sadness, free and fortuitous after a
time of distress, content after a time of dissatisfaction...we are then likely
to thank God or Jesus or Jehovah or Shiva or Buddha or whichever divine
over-soul in which we have invested our faith. Conversely, if we find
ourselves down and out, or miserable, we are quick to announce that we are
unlucky or that the universe is not on our side.
Second, while it seems to be
true that once we begin to actively participate in our own lives and take steps
in the direction of some goal, opportunities arise where there seemed to be
none. Is it true that those opportunities were not there before? And then, magically, once we initiated something
on our own, “Abracadabra!” that opportunity just appeared? And now there is the perfect job opportunity
on the Internet? The Writer’s Workshop
only 20 minutes away instead of all the others that kept popping up that were
over an hour away? The other temporary
job opportunity that ends just before the perfect one will begin? Or can things like this be chalked up to
timing and receptiveness? Maybe we just
weren’t looking in the right places.
And if it is true that the
universe opens doors for us once we begin to open doors for ourselves, how can
it also be true that "when one door closes, another one opens"?
Are we just apt to believe the proverb of the day? Or is there really something to this idea
that once we stop acting like we are lazy, helpless, unproductive couch
potatoes, the universe starts to notice that we might have something important
to offer and like a good mentor, he says, “Hey, now! That’s the spirit! Now that I see you aren’t about to rot away,
I’m willing to help you get back on your feet!
Is the universe interested in the tough-love parenting style?
As much as I’d like to believe
that the universe is in my corner, wiping the blood off my brow and pushing me
back into the ring after I’ve gotten myself up from a devastating blow, I
have a hard time believing that we have no control over our destinies. At times, it may seem like the universe has
us tied to invisible marionette strings by which it controls and directs
us. Why do some people seem to have it all together while others suffer
one misfortune after another?
Determinism is the belief that everything
that happens is a result of something else that has already happened. To
follow this philosophy is to adhere to the idea that we are what we are, which
was determined by our genetic makeup, and that we are literally puppets on
strings, dancing only to the predetermined choreography over which we have no
control. The one saving grace of this ideology is the thought that we can
take care of ourselves and do our best to be healthy. We can eat well,
exercise, and work with what we've got, or, as my grandfather says, "play
the hand we're dealt." And doesn't this make sense! Each of us
has entered this world through no choice of his own. We were given a
unique and specific DNA. We were given "free will." And
we suffer or prosper according to the choices we make. But wait.
What about the five-year old girl who dies from cancer? Did she make “bad”
choices? Or the child in Africa who was
born with AIDS? Or the hungry? The destitute? The mentally
impoverished? The mentally ill? The addicts who are in too deep to ever
swim on their own despite renewed attitudes and recent changes toward progress?
These individuals can only do their best within their means, but they do not
have control of their lives. They are not truly masters of their lives any
more than an infant is the master of the house.
Is the universe their master? Did "God" deal them a bad hand, and
if so, is that it? Some are just unlucky?
In true Fatalistic philosophy, the Universe does
not care one iota about us. Without any education about such philosophy,
many readily accept whatever will be, will be. Que sera, sera.
Ultimately, we know that life on a grander scale is out of our control.
Still, many of us are perpetually concerned with ourselves and our place in the
universe. We ponder the meaning of life. Any one of us might be
seen standing under the vast, starry sky, face upward, asking, "What about
me? What is my place in this world? What does it all
mean?" And the universe will simply sparkle in all its natural awe
and glory, failing to notice, failing to respond, failing to offer even a
morsel of clear advice. Yet everywhere, we choose to see signs that tell
us what we should do. Is this the universe speaking through allegory and
vague interpretive possibility that could’ve been missed so easily? Maybe
what we perceive as “a sign” that we should or should not do something we have
been meditating on is truth deep inside of us, the answer we know in our
hearts. Often it is the answer we knew all along but chose not to
hear. Is this the universe speaking to us and through us? We see signs when we are emotionally,
mentally, and physically ready to deal with the repercussions of
change. How can it be that the universe happens to be on our side or
against us whenever we choose to vocalize that it is just so?
I believe in karma as well as a kind of
determinism. I think an individual's ability to possess knowledge of
self-truth is determined by how much that individual cares to seek truth.
I believe there are truths that are unchangeable--the knowable laws of the universe--the
facts we can prove, and I also believe there are individual truths that vary
from person to person and that change with age, wisdom, tragedy, and
understanding. These are the abstract and messy laws of love, faith,
humor, and purpose.
Regarding humor, I intend to imply not only the varying
codes for laughter in any culture, but also the four bodily humors described by
ancient Greek philosophers, the elements of air, water, earth, and fire than
exist in all of nature, including the human body. I say these are abstract
and messy because even though everyone possesses the four humors, these
elements are ever-changing, unpredictable, and unforgiving. Like in anti-Transcendentalist
literature, we can easily see the ways in which nature is an aggressive,
unforgiving force that imposes its brainless will upon humanity. Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, Forest Fires,
Earthquakes and other natural disasters destroy with impunity. These monsters of the universe have no moral
compass, no compassion, no conscience.
If these elements are borne of the universe, and these elements are
mindless, might they represent a mindless master? Why would a God that is good unleash such
terrors on the world? Because these are
the natural will of God, an omnipotent, omniscient, being who has predetermined
the fate of all souls. This Calvinistic
doctrine, while quite extreme, can be used to explain what otherwise remains
inexplicable.
So, if we argue that the universe is God, the
universe is our master. How, then, do we
explain free will? According to the
Bible, God gave humans free will. This
would suggest that predestination is incorrect, for what need do we have for
free will if our fates have already been determined? Unless each choice we make is predetermined
as well. However, if that is the case,
then our choices are not our own, thus nullifying free will. And if our choices are random, we have no
control over them, which also nullifies free will. Each of us believes that when we make a
choice, that decision is our own, and it is not one that has already been
decided for us. The Whole idea of doing
what Jesus or God would do seems to nullify the concept of free will as well, since
you are not choosing what you want but rather what Jesus or God would
want. Yes, you could still avoid that
option, even upon recognizing it as God’s will, or whatever. So that is the foundation of free will? Your choice?
But how will you ever know whether you actually chose it or whether God
or the universe “made” you choose it?
Let’s go back to the forces that impose their will
upon us. The elements air, water, earth,
and fire impose their will upon the body through DNA, and then, throughout our
lives, in illness, temperament, folly, and vice. There are innumerable
factors that play upon us and render each of us unique. We are malleable,
conscientious, sentient beings. Therefore,
how can we merely be puppets of the universe! And yet we see that many
people face obstacles that seem impossible to overcome while others coast
through life. Is this also not a property of fate? We are all, to
some degree, slaves to our circumstances. I see no easy way out of this
philosophical dilemma. Perhaps I am unwilling to take a firm stand on
either side because I remain ignorant about so much regarding philosophy,
religion, and science. Perhaps I am just unwilling to claim I can know
anything of such magnitude for certain. I concede that there are
unknowable truths. Faith is not enough. At the same time, I admit
that faith is necessary because we are thinking, feeling beings. Some
people rely on their faith, and that is all. I cannot presume to know
that faith is the answer to these dilemmas. Likewise, I cannot presume to
know that it is not.
Each person must adopt his own creeds, his own set
of truths within the architecture of the basic principles of morality. I
think life is about happiness through security and empathy and understanding
and curiosity. My God is love. But my DNA is so very different from
yours. No one person has the authority
to judge what is right or wrong for another. Why is that we know we
cannot know what it's like to be someone unless we've walked a mile in his
shoes, yet we continue to preach, belittle, scorn, and condemn? Author
Dave Eggers has professed one thing that most of us can safely know for
sure: "Everyone disappears, no matter who loves them."
Fatalistic? Yes. Meaningful? I don't know. Is it what life all
boils down to? Or is that ever-sagacious
bumper sticker true in that “the one who dies with the most toys wins?” That probably is not the answer—at least not
for me anyway, unless by “toys” you mean “clothes” or “shoes.” I have so many questions and not so many good
answers. Maybe the universe can help? Let me look for a sign.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/josephcamp134756.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalism
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3371.Dave_Eggers
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/shakespeare/fourhumors.html
Would it be safe to say that with so many existing religions and beliefs, that all of them have some degree of truth when it comes to destiny and the universe?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! And that's one of the main reasons it's hard for me to adamantly take a stand for one or another. I can see truth in them all. The big question here is, why can't everyone else?
ReplyDelete