Supreme intelligence or Random coincidence?

Does destiny exist? Any person who likes to think would have asked him/herself this question numerous times. As we move through life and learn new things, there always seems to be a pattern at hand. People we meet by 'accident' might end up becoming close friends, events that happened due to a coincidence might eventually play a big role in our lives. Is this the result of some intelligent force that pulls the strings behind the scenes or does it all just boil down to mere probabilities and chances? Is the history of the universe an already preplanned 'script' or are we in control of where our lives lead?

Before going further, I must admit that there are many instances in my life where the hand of destiny has almost been tangible. Most of the close friends I have right now are those who I met completely by chance (at a party to which I decided to go at the very last minute, in a bus that I took only because I overslept and missed the previous one and things like that). People I should have never met end up becoming crucial friends. Take about two years ago for example, when I met Adrian, a fellow law student. We were in different classes and thus did not see each other often, we knew almost nothing about each other except our names. The only similarity that we probably shared was the fact that we towered over the rest of the law faculty, be it in height or frame. We were regularly referred to as 'the bouncers', though we eventually used that title to our advantage by intimidating others into submission and manipulating the system into making us the vice presidents of the Law Society. But we werent close friends, we only saw each other during the Law Society meetings. Then things changed.

After our first exams in Law School (if it can be called that) Adrian planned to drink with his classmates but did not know where to buy some alcohol because (as chance would have it) it was a public holiday. One of his friends on the other hand (as chance would have it again) thought he had once heard me say that I know where alcohol could be bought in the area even on holidays. I had previously planned to go for a party with my close friends at the time but (as chance would have it yet again) I overslept and they left for the party without me. Adrian then called me and asked if I knew where a few bottles could be bought and I (having scented the oppurtunity to drink) immidiately went over to see him in his apartment and we went into one of the lesser known regions of Malaysia to buy a few cheap bottles. There were 6 of us drinking that day and we all got drunk. Adrian casually mentoned that he was looking for people to rent one of his rooms to and (as chance strikes for the fourth time) I happened to be looking for a room to move into at the time. Four freaky coincidences, all of which had to happen at the exact time that they did for the future events to be set in motion.

Almost two years have passed since that day, and in the course of those two years I moved in to his house, had some great times, had some terrible times, got myself kicked out of the house, was introduced to a life changing game called Dota, stayed in various places illegally, made new friends, lost old ones, was saved by Adrian himself during my exams, flew to England to finish my degree and lived life like only a true ENTP can. And despite all the ups and downs, I still got on with my life. Two years and a thousand cans of beer later, the friendship is now stronger than ever. I even went to visit him last week and had a great time. It was after hearing that he has a blog that I remembered mine. Thus, without those four freaky coincidences that happened almost two years ago, I might not have returned to my blog and you certainly would not be reading this.

So are all these tiny coincidences just small components of a massive coincidence called 'life'? Or is there something really called destiny? Was I destined to become friends with Adrian and write this blog? Was Harrson Ford destined to play Indiana Jones even though Tom Selleck was the main choice? Were Mr and Mrs Wayne destined to die so that young Bruce could become Batman? Was George Bush Jr destined for a second term so that most of us could get a cheap laugh or two at his verbal gymnastics? The possibilities are endless and much like religion, to take any stance on destiny requires either faith or personal experience. And also as in religion, the only stance that requires neither is to deny it altogether. And as much as it pains me to say that, denying it is also the stance that makes the most sense to me.

As a general rule, I dont believe in things that cannot be proven. If somebody expects me to beleive that he has a third eye on his right elbow, he has to show it to me. If it is something that cant be visibly shown, it has to be proven. We cant see air, but basic experiments we learn in school still prove that it exists. This is one of the reaons I am a staunch atheist, because I feel that if God expects me to beleive in him, he better be able to convince me that he exists. At the same time, neither do I bear any grudge against those who beleive in God, as the evidence in front of their eyes might be sufficient to satisy them. With destiny however, even that chance to prove itself dissolves. Unless we actually create parallel universes or somehow show they exist, destiny can never be proven right or wrong. It is wrong of me to expect anybody to prove something that cannot be proven, yet it is also wrong for me to beleive in something that cannot be proven.

On one hand, if destiny does exist, I am nothing more than an actor in an already preplanned script. You might argue that the small things in life and that the route we take to acheive that destiny is entirely up to us, but my opinion differs. If the overall path of our life is controlled by some superior being, then every action (regardless of its scope) has to be in accordance with setting about a chain of events that will ultimately lead up to that destiny. I am not in control of my actions because I can do nothing that might prevent me from reaching that destiny. We are all just puppets and this higher intelligence is the puppetmaster. And we dont even realise it.

I dont like that. I dont like the idea that every step I take, even writing this blog is because it has already been scripted. I want to believe that my life is a product of my thinking and my actions. I want to believe that every mistake I made was done by me and not some cruel scriptwriter up in the skies. But most importantly, I want to believe that every success I have had in life, every obstacle that I have crossed was because I worked for it and because I deserved it. And because I want to believe it, I do.

Wow. Talk about faith.