We tend to rationalize the ups and downs of life, and ascribe them to the whims of fate. Our whole life is sought to be explained away on the basis of a preordained destiny. But by assigning our lot to fate, we tend to underestimate the innate freedom of choice that activates our actions and leads us to choose a particular path over the other.

The ease and the willingness – bordering on eagerness – with which we surrender ourselves to the whims of fate is surprising; for it betrays a lack of direction that we want to take in our lives. (This may result from weakness in our conscious will.) Similarly, we tend to give way to our inner impulses with remarkable ease. Perhaps, this represents a subconscious attempt on our part to identify ourselves with the forces that mould us.

If all knowledge, and everything that is to happen (including the unfolding of the universe and the fate of mankind), is already pre-coded into the initial conditions of the universe by a prescient creator, what is the purpose of human endeavor? The answer to that must be that God has given man free will precisely for this purpose – to make of creation what he will. God is an observer, though not an unconcerned one, for the creation is his. Thus, our fate is not predetermined as such, but is ours to modify based on our preferences and our innate nature. This is the essence of the gift of freedom – the future is ours to shape how we want it to be!