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Articles: My Thoughts | Destiny and volition?
- Prof. Narasimham Brahmandam
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Events in nature are the result of interactions of components of nature. Our body and mind also are components of nature, endowed by abilities coded in our genes by nature. Therefore, their actions are in accordance with laws of nature and are generally not under our control.
We are often faced with the question, “Are we just cogs in the great machine of nature, or do we have any volition to act as we wish to?” People are divided into two groups in respect of answer to this question.
Group 1 believes that events in nature are part of huge cause and effect chains, which are called fate or destiny. Fate is the supposedly inevitable course of events. Astrologers claim that they have a method of tracing this course in advance of its occurrence by relating events in question to events far away in the universe both in space and time. They believe that all events in nature are a sequence starting with the Big Bang and are, therefore, related to each other. Scientists predict the results of physical and physiological events by relating them to immediately preceding events. Both these classes of futurologists claim to predict coming events based on present or past events. It follows that both of them believe that future events are projections of the previous events. It means that events are predetermined and cannot be changed and must be experienced. This group of people is known as fatalists. They tend to belittle the capabilities of man and lay stress on his helplessness to change events to his advantage. We do not know for certain whether their concept is true. But, surely, they rob the charm and romance of adventure out of life and deny the elation of achievement.
Fate is the course of nature. Destiny suggests a supernatural agency that determines the course of events (Brahma raasina raata). While believers in fate attribute the determination to nature, the believers in destiny attribute it to God. To the common man it makes little difference whether the predetermination is by nature or God. What matters to him is that he is not fully empowered to steer his own vehicle. (This is typified by the famous quotation from Behaved giita in which Srii Krishna says to Arjuna that the Kauravas were already killed by Him and that Arjuna was to be just the instrument). Such faith that al events are His handiwork and that we are just the apparent agents (or worse, puppets) might discourage enterprise and adventure.
Group 2 people have confidence in themselves that they can determine the course of events. Having acquired a lot of knowledge of nature’s laws, they are sure that they can manipulate natural factors and do anything. Here also, it is nature, which does. We get done only things, which nature’s laws permit. We tame nature and get our work done by obeying nature. This is a less fatalistic view in that we hope to achieve by our efforts (by using nature to serve our ends). We do seem to accomplish but our success is limited to the extent we conform to nature.
Dr. Radhakrishnan answers this question by a familiar model. Life is a game of bridge. We did not invent the game or frame its rules. We have no control over the cards that are dealt to us. To that extent the game is decided by fate. But we can play the game skillfully or foolishly. A skillful player may win even with bad cards and a bad player may lose while holding good cards. It is probably the best integration of the two factors – chance and choice.
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