I have often stated, loudly and confidently, that human beings have free will. I can't say it any more clearly than that. Unfortunately, there seems to be some confusion as to the definition of Free Will. Here's my take on it.
Free Will means that you get to make choices and execute them. I believe that you are absolutely free to do anything you want, as long as you're willing to suffer the consequences. Of course, sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to, but that's all a part of it.
Suppose I decide to go to work late one day. I call the store and make my intentions known. As I have Free Will, I don't have to, but I choose not to piss off the boss. I tell him something has come up and I'll be late. Because he's a nice boss, he doesn't question me further, which is fine since I'm only doing it to make a point.
I walk outside my house and stroll to the corner store. Just as I'm crossing 14th Avenue a car careens around the corner, striking me squarely. On impact, I'm launched into the air and like a cartoon, I actually hover there for a few moments before descending and striking pavement. Wiley Coyote would be proud of me.
It was my decision to call in late. I don't believe that fate had anything to do with it. It was my decision to take a walk. It was the driver's decision to take the turn too fast. It was his decision to take that route at that time of day. His Free Will. The only actual destiny involved was this. Once airborne, I was destined to hit the ground. There's nothing prophetic about that.
When people speak of destiny, I believe they are confusing it with the Free Will of others. If the decisions that I make were made in a vacuum, then I would have Free Will. Unfortunately, the actions of others must have an affect on what happens to me. Thus is destiny born.
If Fate really did exist, what would give me the impetus to strive for something more? Why should I work any harder at perfecting my writing, if I'm already destined to be a famous author? If I don't have Free Will, why should I bother doing anything?
I can trace my feelings about Fate back to a personal experience. I've spent many long years in retail, thinking that something better would come along. I was complacent. I was lazy. Perhaps I believed in Fate.
And Fate came through for me. A man entered my life and offered me a dream job. I was going to run the technical end of a voice recognition company. We spoke about it at length. He offered me a high salary, great benefits and a company car. Josh and I spent a lot of time together. He had faith in my ability, in spite of the fact that my qualifications weren't what they might have been. He took me under his wing. He took my wife and I to Chinatown for dinner.
Then, shortly before the contract was signed, my fairy godfather developed a brain tumor. He died just recently. I am saddened by his death. I am still in retail.
That was when I sat down and I wrote my first short story. I submitted it, before my new found awareness deserted me. I didn't wait for a response before writing my second. If I become a successful writer it will be through heart and hard work, not some cosmic coincidence.
Of course, the possibility exists that I may not make it. That's because editors have Free Will too. It will be my decision to keep trying or to give it up. Either way, I will make or I won't.
Fate will have nothing to do with it.
Fate Just Ain't What It Used to Be was originally published in Jackhammer Ezine. All of my Jackhammer Articles are archived on Steve's SF and Fantasy Webpage.