So I watched this movie--The Men Who Stare At Goats--the other day and liked it a lot. It's all about mind over matter, and while there's no science-y stuff in it (which I liked and disliked (wow, that's not saying anything at all, is it?)), there is a real scientific basis for that--quantum physics. The disclaimer at the beginning of the movie says that "More of this is true than you wish you believe," and it is based off of true events. Quick synopsis: During Vietnam, the U.S. military began a secret training organization to train "psychic spies" (or, the term the soldiers prefer, "remote viewers") which go against all traditional notions of war altogether. They can see what's in a closed cabinet, fight without any weapons, traverse terrain with their minds to places they've never been, and stop a goat's heart just by trying (it's peaceful activities up until the goat business). They can also see into the future. Yes, the U.S. actually did this, in case you're wondering.
It's based off of a book of the same name, so I looked the title up on Amazon. In related books I saw all these how-to guides on remote viewing, so I clicked a couple and checked out the reviews. One of them had generally positive views in particular, like "This is the ultimate guide to help you learn remote viewing" and first-hand reviews that they could "remote view" and do things like see into the future. In the movie, there's a monologue from George Clooney's character that talks about destiny, and about how the other character simply needs to rise to meet his destiny. He says that life is like a giant river, and that this other guy can try swimming against it all he wants, but in the end the current is going to sweep him away to his destiny. And that's all poignant and profound and nice, but after thinking about this movie, I'm not sure I buy it.
I've always had a problem with "fate" and "destiny" because I don't believe they exist. I believe you create your own path as you live--there is no ultimate calling for you because you create that ultimate calling. But I had a problem with these fortune tellers and people that claim to see the future and things like deja vu. A lot of people have no problem saying that they're destined to do something or that they're going to put a problem in fate's hands. If you put a problem in fate's hands, nothing's going to happen; it's the same as saying that it's "in God's hands now." It's still your problem, and you're still going to have to deal with it. What I'm saying is, I believed that fate didn't exist simply on faith, but I never had anything to substantiate that claim.
Anyway, the more I thought about it, I figured out how this whole future-seeing thing factors into a disbelief in fate. Seeing the future is nothing more than seeing what you want the future to hold. It's more like setting a goal for yourself. If you see yourself as a veterinarian in your crystal ball, you'd think, oh, well then, it's my destiny to become a veterinarian, and thus you'd take the necessary steps toward that career path, fulfilling what the prophecy proclaimed, so to speak. In the end, everything's still in your hands (e.g., Harry would have gone after Voldemort whether or not the prophecy was even made at all). You'd have the choice to become, say, a journalist, but because fate is a strong belief system, you're going to make the veterinarian fate come true, and then say it was because you saw the future when you were younger. But you made that future a reality, not fate. It's all you, because you wholeheartedly believed that was your destiny and made it happen.
It's interesting that we trust a crystal ball or a fortune teller or our future-seeing moments more than we trust ourselves. Creating an ultimate goal for yourself is tough, because the path to that goal is littered with hidden I.E.Ds of self-doubt and you never know when you're going to step on one. Say you wanted to be an architect. You would have to work toward it, but you'd also have to struggle with the nagging idea that maybe you don't want to be, or shouldn't be, or whatever, an architect. But if somehow you knew that being an architect was your destiny, your fate, your ultimate goal, you would pursue it without question and without any doubts because you believe it would be what you are meant to do. If we trusted ourselves more and focused more on our strengths rather than our flaws, a belief in fate would be unnecessary.
You know those people that know what card's going to come next before flipped over? People say that's seeing the future, but I don't believe it. The person who is saying what card is going to come next is making that card come next. They're not seeing anything. They're just not doubting their ability to make the jack of hearts appear.
The other thing about fate is that it reminds me a lot of predestination, which is something that we knocked Calvinism for hardcore. It's not exactly the same, but it's similar enough to make me skeptical. The same premise is there: this is the way it is and you can't change it. But what they don't tell you is that changing something is easier than you think. There's always more than one way to look at something. Your job is to find that other positive perspective and roll with it.
Note: I know some people will write this off as New Age crap and that's fine. Let me just say I'm not skeptical about this business at all. Being skeptical closes your mind to so much, and while I am reasonably skeptical about some things (like if you told me you were a big fan of Coldplay), this is not one of them. I believe people can do awesome things with their mind. The world is not static by any means and we have the power to change right what's in front of us. The only thing holding us back is our doubts.
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