Have you ever had someone say “Everything happens for a reason”? Have these same people said that you have a choice in whatever you do?
Have you ever wondered about these concepts yourself?
The interesting point regarding these concepts is that they are mutually exclusive – one cannot have the ability to choose if everything happens for a reason. The idea of “Free Will” – that every person has an ability to opt for any choice in the face of any circumstance presented to them – is diametrically opposed to the concept of “Pre-destination”.
Pre-destination holds that all outcomes are already pre-planned, and that there is no variation from this design. The only “reason” that exists in predestination is that of the one who made the designed outcomes. It’s like a railroad track that can never derail – it goes at the pace set by the designer, and to the destination they laid the track for.
Can anyone have “Free Will” but yet it be that “Everything happens for a reason”? Arguably, they can’t.
If everything happens for a reason, then whatever actions are taken were already planned out by a macro-level Reasoner. This Reasoner can be whatever or whoever, but ultimately creates the overarching framework through which the Reasoner executes their plan – or reason.
If everyone has “Free Will”, then nothing happens for a reason – unless that reason is (by the Reasoner) to watch what is happening with the people they are watching. And this would have had to existed at the start – with no influence by this Reasoner as this would interfere with that same said “Free” Will… For people to have Free Will, there cannot be any predetermination – as this then would limit the freedom of an expression of their will and thus would be Limited Will.
For example – Free Will would be the ability to walk in any direction at any time, while Limited Will would be the ability to walk along a few select paths at appropriate or designated times. Predestined Will, to elaborate on the idea, would be that there is only one path that anyone can walk on at any given time regardless of the appearance of any other paths. Limited Will, by the way, would also preclude “Free” Will as there is a limit to what decisions can be made by the individual.
How does this apply to Martial Arts? For the most part, it only applies in a philosophical aspect – do I have the personal agency in a conflict situation, or is the outcome already written somewhere?
We learn, as Martial Artists, how to use our bodies in a myriad of ways – disciplining our mental and physical selves to handle the stresses of potential physical conflict. In the event of a conflict, the argument of Free Will and Predestination comes into play, even if it is not on the forefront of a persons mind at that time… because they are more focused on the impending conflict than the philosophical issue of whether or not they have a chance to defend themselves, or if the results are already calculated and only known by a “Reasoner”.
“Ohh, what’s really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything?” – The Oracle, from the Matrix.
From a philosophical standpoint, this illustrates one of the differences almost ingrained in individuals of the Western based cultures. These two concepts of Free Will and Predestination are used almost interchangeably by many. For example, In difficult times many use the platitude of “Everything happens for a reason”, while in good times or in times requiring choice, these same people would use “I’m sure you’ll make the right choice” or statements to that effect. Interestingly, these concepts are ripe in Christianity – where the Christian Deity has given humanity the ability to think for themselves, while having a plan for the world and their creation. Especially during the Protestant Reformation, there was the kindling of what would be later be the fires of the belief that God’s divine grace was shown through the success of a persons work. If it was successful, they were favoured.
Many philosophers throughout history have covered the conflict and paradox that these positions hold, and to varying degrees of success. Ultimately the interpretation that a person chooses to subscribe to will be based upon their own practice of faith or personal worldview, and what they are willing to believe.
The mindset in the Eastern world is slightly different regarding these concepts. The idea of a natural pattern is rife throughout Taoist thought, and a little less so in Confucian thought. There is a belief of an overarching pattern, but not a supplanting will that is imposed on humanity. Even the Will of Heaven was fluid – nothing was predestined, and the actions of a leader could lead to their retention of their position, or the loss of it.
This is akin to the “Divine Right of Kings”, but without the aspects of absolute divine favour – as the Will of Heaven was fluid, and based upon the leaders actions. The leaders could fail and not be in accordance to the Will of Heaven, and then people were encouraged to remove them from power…
Although the term is not used, this fluidity of choice and the consequence of action is likely best associated with Free Will as the people can choose. Arguably, in all fairness, this could also be equated to “limited will” and conflate this particular evidence in the argument.
So how does someone reconcile the awkward occasion that they are forced to confront someone in a physical altercation? He does someone reconcile the issues when they have lost? Are they in their particular divine beings disfavour? Think about that for a moment: if you believe in predestination and have ever been in a fight, and you lost, how does this fit into your worldview? Most will just state that “everything happens for a reason” as though that is the reason itself – and then say that they may not understand this reason, but have faith in the purpose of the lesson…
Historically we used to believe that we could what the divine wanted due to successes – in farming, in interpersonal success, and in battle. Many cultures have had this view that success – or failure and hardships – were proof of the favour or disfavour of divine beings and people gave themselves over to the rituals they believed would garner the favour of their particular deities. They would always wonder what they did or did not do based on the feast or famine they perceived to be their deities response. In this interpretation, there is a notion of free will – that your actions show favour or disfavour based on the success or failure.
But if everything had a definite plan, and all things are designed, these actions of seeking out favour are only robotic machinations as no choice is in the equation. There is no room for learning or changing as all things are already lain out and will play out according to the “plan”.
In the situation of a fight or other conflict, if a loss was predestined, then the issue is that you stood no chance of learning – there is nothing to be learned in this as there would be no other chance to correct future issues because there would be no option for free thinking. The plan was for you to fail, and be injured… regardless of what may later come from going to the hospital, or subsequent permanent injuries you may have sustained.
Have a read of the following story: Taoist Farmers Tale.
The continual shift between the perception of good and bad fortunes are present here – but the fact that it was subjective to the people who saw it, having suffered their own losses etc while the Farmer didn’t, and then had success while the Farmer’s apparent fortune had suffered… The Taoist view of the argument mostly shows us the root of the argument to begin with – Why do things happen the way they do?
As rational beings, we seek rationality – even if we have to project it onto the canvas we are looking at.
So, ultimately, what I like to do is bring up conflicting world views, and help people see the complexities in the human condition. Can we have free will and be predestined? Arguably, no. Do we have free will? Are we predestined? I would prefer to think one way, but can’t state for certain which one has absolute power over us all…
