Has the Universe planned the entirety of our lives for us or do we have some say in our own destiny? Free will versus Fate – it’s the age-old debate between man-kind and the potential of our existence.
Though I have sentenced myself to three straight semesters of English, I don’t believe I will reach a sound conclusion to this debate any time soon…or in this lifetime for that matter. However, I have found that there is a very interesting dimension of human nature that contributes to this argument. Whether or not we are solely a possession of the universe is unknown, but we are a complete possession of ourselves. Yes, each individual has the free will to be who they are – the free will to make decisions and live life the way that they choose to; the free will to dictate their own existence. Who we are is a matter of our perception of life and how we so choose to react to it.
Life is inevitably tragic. In the words of Peter Pan, “To live will be an awfully big adventure.” There is not a single person that has pursued this adventure without their fair share of trials and triumphs. Therefore it can be interpreted that we are all tragic heroes fulfilling our stories in the pages and chapters of life. Of course, with every tragic hero comes a tragic flaw. Humanity itself is one big, erratic mess of things but in one way or another our greatest human error is hubris.
Hubris is defined as an excess of pride. Even people of extreme humility possess a certain amount of pride and pride in excess. Looking back on the argument of fate versus free will, we have the ability to determine what kind of person lives our life and therefore we hold our own destiny. Our perception and reactions can be altered by nobody other than ourselves, and if we choose not to change then it is our fault for an excess of pride in ourselves and the person we refuse to give up. Note that hubris and being egotistical are not the same thing. Possessing this amount of pride is not a matter of being self absorbed, but a matter of taking enough pride in ourselves to be so stubborn to refuse self-change, which, truthfully and tragically, is quite natural.
Though, can it be said that the universe predetermines who we will be? Well, it could be true that the fault may lie in our stars and that perhaps people are blessed or doomed by some higher power. However, the constellations we create from those stars is a responsibility of our own. We map out our own destiny based on how we choose to interpret the stars given to us and how we use them to navigate through life. ‘Destined for greatness or failure’ thus becomes irrelevant because regardless of the hurdles life throws our way, who we are when we encounter them is not up to anybody else.
The issue now with reality is that in a world that commonly refuses self-change, we live in a realm of extreme stubbornness. More than that, excessive pride rears its ugly head once again when applied to the other end of the spectrum – credibility for change. Competition, superiority and ability to take pride and honor in one’s existence is practically coded into our DNA. It’s sad but typically, people are so caught up in receiving credit for making a difference or a change – for all the wrong reasons – hubris. The truth is stated quite clearly in John Green’s novel when the topic of oblivion is addressed. There is no sense in fearing the inevitable and therefore no reason to fight for a name that time will test and eventually erase. It is worthless to pursue greatness in strife just to attain a title of significance; wouldn’t it be better to know that you left behind a legacy greater than your own existence? One day, there will be nobody left to remember who you were or what exactly it was that you did, but it is because of you that the life they are experiencing is different.
Henceforth, swallow your pride and take responsibility for your own life – for your perceptions and reactions, for the person you are, want to be, and want to leave behind. Pride is human error but our lives are short and insignificant in relativity to the rest of the world and the course of history. Therefore, how can we expect to claim glory without first claiming responsibility for our faults? With the ‘limited infinity’ (which is determined by the universe) that is given to us, make the most of it. Don’t settle into the mindset that what you are given is all that you are destined to attain, but rely on yourself and not the Fates and create a life of your choosing – a destiny of your own.
heartonherkeys 