Destiny or Choice – The Great Debate

Everything happens for a reason… That’s what they say. I don’t know who “they” are, but I know that they’re saying it because it’s all you ever hear.

When bad things happen – everything happens for a reason.

When good things happen – everything happens for a reason.

Even the non-religious believe that everything happens for a reason. Whether it’s divine intervention, or simply the gravitational pull of the universe – everything. happens. for. a. reason.

We should mention, this fresh perspective is simply here to push us to think. There are no answers, no reassurances. Simply questions aimed to be considered.

The Backstory

I’m not sure if you’ve had a chance to listen to the podcast episode that came out the week this gets released – Ready, Set, JED. If not, our editor in chief dives deep about her most defining false start yet.

The thing is, back in 2017 the events of life felt catastrophic and it took years to get to a place, mentally, where I could accept and appreciate the way things had panned out. Dare I say, they happened that way for a reason.

#teamdestiny

The week leading up to the release of this episode, was eerie. Every situation that was referenced with my false start(s), suddenly popped back up. Every individual, every storyline – it all came flooding back, as if by fate.

Have you ever had those moments? Suddenly things start happening in the strangest of ways, you get into a bit of a groove and every unanswered question starts making sense.

Life happens the way it was meant to. It just makes sense. We have no real control, how could we? Did we choose Ms. Rona? Did we choose quarantine? Does it not make sense – were you not destined to be, where you are right now?

#teamchoice

Okay, let’s work on the counterpoint. Our False Starts is the best argument I have for choice. No one put this idea in my head, no one influenced my decision to create this platform. Our False Starts came about because of the decision that I made to keep pushing forward.

It was simply an idea to create a community that was willing to learn alongside me. To be supported in the mistakes we’re bound to make and celebrate the successes we’re bound to find, together. There’s power in community folks.

Our False Starts

But back to the argument.

I refused to look back on this time and be disappointed by the ease in which I gave up and stopped trying. So, to be clear – I will never stop trying. I will never stop aiming for growth, I will never stop looking to improve upon myself. The choice to do and be better, will be one that I never stop making.

This includes the tears, the sleepness nights and the self-doubt. I’m not insinuating that the choice was ever easy, but it’s one that I’ve continued to make. Truthfully, it would have been so much easier to accept defeat and I almost did. In fact, there are days when I still contemplate the sweet surrender of defeat, but we aren’t there just yet.

This is all to say – destiny doesn’t get to take credit for what I’ve done.

The Verdict

It’s hard to deny that I feel like life has been leading me here, without my knowledge. The past month, Just. Makes. Sense.

We came here to answer the great debate and amid writing this, I decided.

I think the past has happened the way it was supposed to and the future is ours to decide.

Better yet, your perspective is yours to decide. We’re about five months into the year and it is very clear that we have no control, whatsoever.

On the off chance that you did have a part to play in creating Ms. Rona, I forgive you but I have had enough – thanks.

Anyways, in summary here’s our fresh perspective on the great debate.

We get to make choices. Day in and day out, we decide who we are by the choices we make and the perspectives we develop. And sometimes, yeah, they make sense. There are times when, years after the fact, life will pan out in a way that makes the worries of the past seem laughable.

So, do me a favour and laugh about it. Be proud of the journey you’ve taken, whether it be by choice or divine intervention. Maybe it’s a choice, maybe it’s not – but what I do know, is that it’s yours to live.

And the very best part? You don’t, actually, have to decide if you don’t want to. Your perspective is yours to discover. So long as you’re living a life that makes you happy and leaves you feeling fulfilled – does it really matter whether or not it was meant to be?

If you made it this far, leave your thoughts down below. I’d love to hear your perspective.