Fragments of the Divine

Remember when I said we’d explore the whole “free will vs. destiny” saga in another post? Well, here we are—and I’m already regretting promising to unpack one of the universe’s biggest mysteries. But hey, no pressure, right? Apparently, I enjoy giving myself existential headaches as much as I enjoy sharing them with you.

Free will. Destiny. Two concepts that feel like they’re constantly at odds, pulling us in different directions. Are we writing the story as we go, or are we walking a path already carved out, simply rediscovering it step by step? And if that path exists, what does it say about the choices we think we’re making?

You’ll find this debate in philosophy, science, spirituality, and even some of the stories that captivate us on screen. But as much as we talk about it, free will and destiny remain one of life’s great paradoxes. Let’s unpack this together, not to solve it—because honestly, that might be impossible—but to explore what it means for how we live.

Where Does Free Will Begin?

At its core, free will is the idea that we have the power to choose. From picking your breakfast to deciding whether to quit a job, it’s about steering the ship of your life. But does it really start there?

Some philosophers argue that our free will is shaped by forces outside of us: genetics, upbringing, society, or even the subconscious patterns we don’t realize we’re following. If that’s true, are our choices truly “free,” or are they influenced by everything we’ve been through? And then there’s the spiritual twist: what if the choices we’re making now were set in motion before we were born, part of a grander design?

Here’s where it gets tricky. If free will exists within these frameworks, it’s not an infinite field of options. It’s more like a sandbox with boundaries—choices inside certain limits. For example, you can’t choose the family you’re born into, but you can choose how you engage with them. So, does free will mean choosing freely within your context?

Where Does It End?

If free will has limits, where does it stop? For some, the answer lies in surrender. In spirituality, there’s a common thread: the idea of aligning your will with the flow of the universe, or with destiny. It’s not about giving up your choices but recognizing that sometimes what feels like a choice isn’t really one at all—it’s a calling.

Have you ever had moments where life seemed to push you in a direction you didn’t choose? Maybe it was a career shift, a relationship, or a moment of realization. Looking back, you might even see that resisting it was futile. Is this where free will ends and destiny takes over? Or is the act of surrender itself a choice?

The Great Debate: Free Will vs. Destiny

Let’s take a moment to step back and look at the debate itself. If free will is about making choices and destiny is about following a path, how do they coexist? Are they opposites, or are they two sides of the same coin?

Here’s one way to look at it: maybe free will is the mechanism through which we navigate destiny. Imagine your life is a river. The river’s course is your destiny—it flows toward the ocean, no matter what. But within that river, you have free will. You can paddle furiously upstream, drift with the current, or explore every bend along the way. Each choice changes your experience of the journey, even if the destination remains the same. And now, there’s a little voice in the back of my head yelling, ‘But what about milestones? If the ocean is the final destination, are there unchangeable checkpoints—those significant moments we can’t avoid, designed to keep us moving forward even when we drift?” Now, my dear reader, I’d love to hear your thoughts—hould we dive deeper into this idea in a future post? As you can tell, I’ve already drifted off course. Okay, let’s paddle back to the topic, shall we?

Where was I? Ah, yes. But here’s the kicker: if you wander too far off-course, the universe has a tendency to intervene—and not always gently. Think of it as the cosmic equivalent of a GPS recalculating your route, except instead of a polite notification, it might throw you a wake-up call in the form of a near-death experience, a big traumatic event, or some other life-altering slap. Is it punishment? No. Of course not, most enlightened people would say with a serene sweetness in their voice, while my very human brain is screaming, “Are you kidding me? It sure as hell feels like punishment!”. It’s More like a divine nudge saying, “Hey, you’ve strayed. Let’s get back on track.”

Which raises another question: Did we choose these “slaps” in advance, knowing they’d help us realign with our path? Are they cosmic speed bumps or preplanned detours designed to speed up our awakening? I’ll leave that for you to ponder—preferably while wearing a helmet, just in case the universe is feeling particularly nudgy.

What Is Then Free Will?

Maybe free will isn’t the ability to make any choice we want but the ability to engage with the choices in front of us. It’s not a blank slate; it’s a canvas with a pre-drawn outline, and we decide how to color it in.

If that’s the case, then free will isn’t diminished by destiny. It’s enriched by it. Destiny offers us a foundation —the things we can’t change, the moments that shape us, and the pivotal events that seem to happen regardless of our plans. These are the structural beams of our lives: the family we’re born into, the challenges we face, and the synchronicities that seem too perfect to be coincidences. They’re the pieces we didn’t consciously choose, yet they provide the foundation on which everything else is built.

But here’s where it gets interesting: destiny’s framework isn’t rigid. It’s adaptable, fluid, and deeply intertwined with our choices. Think of it like a movie script—the major plot points are set, but the actors have room to improvise. How we engage with these moments, the meaning we assign to them, and the energy we bring to our actions—that’s where free will thrives.

Even the most unchangeable events, like a loss or a chance encounter, become opportunities for transformation when we interact with them consciously. The framework is there to guide us, but it doesn’t dictate the colors we paint within its lines. And maybe that’s the beauty of it: destiny gives us structure, and free will gives us the freedom to bring it to life in our own unique way—and free will gives us the tools to make it ours. Together, they create a life that is both guided and unique.

Pause and Reflect

So, here we are, circling back to the questions that started it all. Are we making choices, or are we remembering them? Are we creating our lives, or are we simply aligning with the lives we’ve already chosen?

Instead of choosing sides in the debate, maybe it’s more helpful to live the questions. What happens if we approach each moment not as something to control but as something to discover? What would change if we trusted that both our choices and the path are working together?

Here’s a thought: take a moment to pause. Look around at your life, the people in it, the experiences you’ve had. Ask yourself: What if I chose this? Not as a burden, but as a gift. What does it feel like to see your life not as something happening to you but as something happening for you—and with you?

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The journey is not about proving one over the other but recognizing how free will and destiny work together to shape our growth. Each step we take—whether chosen consciously or guided by unseen forces—is an invitation to become more aligned with the truest version of ourselves.

Oh, and before you go paddling down your own river of destiny, don’t forget to subscribe! That way, you’ll be notified every time I post another existential question for us all to lose sleep over—because why should I be the only one lying awake at 3 a.m. wondering about the nature of the universe? Feel free to comment too—I’m always up for a good debate (or a new perspective to question everything all over again).