Proof that you should never take your problems seriously

"It's never really a matter of choice. So if your screwed now, you're destined to be screwed for the rest of your life"

- this is how I understood what life is really all about, not really a comforting thought, huh? I know...

If you thought that you are here right now, empowered or in control of your life, and existing in a reality by your own accord or merits, then folks, I'd have to urge you to think again.

I've always wondered how people often look back later their lives thinking that they could've changed their lives' outcome if they could have done things differently - if they could've made a different choice.

I believe that this is the main reason why people are unhappy and stressed; that they grow old bitter at an "opportunity lost" or at least the prospect of what could have been a better life... if only...

Unfortunately, I have to concede, that this is how I also used to think, thus explain my fondness of leading a stress-laiden, circumstancially-dependent, adrenaline-driven life..

And, this is what I'm trying to train myself out-of right now (sadly, with mixed results)...

Why the sudden existential quips from yours truly?

Well, with everything going-on right now - with my job, life, family, kids; I just feel that everything is slipping out of control, in short is heading for a road to nowhere!

I feel so lost... so unsure... always in panic-mode with life's every twists and turns...

Not really a good thing when your the sole-provider of a young family...

I feel that all my living seconds are spent with making or taking split-second decisions, that I would either later regret or forget(?) why I made it in the first place.

This month, has been more of the same, and for some reason, I always find myself reflecting on the same questions everytime (i.e. what is the point of this life? why is everything going the way they are? etc), going halfway, then not really bothering to finish the thought process.

This is the cycle that is my life's story:

Problem comes in the picture -> Think of Solution -> Implement Solution -> Evaluate Results -> Results unpleasant/pleasant? -> Question "what if" scenarios -> reflect on "what if" results/scenarios -> then, another Problem comes into view, repeat step 1...

and this is the summary: Same old shit, different day!

Looking forward this time around though, I chose to take another path.

Somehow, I found myself not rationalizing with "what if" scenarios, but rather trying to figure out if theology holds some explanation to this perpetual life mystery.

Digging deep to my collection/knowledge of theology and philosophy (there's really not much left in there, so it was a quick half-a-day trip to psychedelic dooland) I came out with this understanding...

If you really understand the basic theological rationale of your very existence it should be this:

"That God has created man from his own image/likeness; that HE has ultimately, something planned for you altogether even before your parents were born..."

Western theology's twist in this concept, is the notion that God has given man, the right to make his own choice on things. And that those choice (with predetermined outcome) would essentially be your accountability and would eventually spell your life story.

I believe that western theology's view on this concept are the primary reasons why people today are much inclined to be lethargic, psychotic, and essentially living stressed lives - the fact that they have a "say" on their lives will obviously throw people off whenever things "magically" don't go the way that they plan it to go...

But let's take time to analyze this idea.

Immediately you'll run into a couple of inherent flaws, namely:

First point is, that even though your basically empowered to make your own decisions, you are still eventually choosing something that was, in essence,
already chosen for you (with the argument that God would have known what option
you'll choose in the end regardless). So, with that, the argument that you are the captain of your life goes down for the count.

Second point is, if we argue that you are indeed empowered to make your own choices, and basically in control of your life's destiny by choosing to take a different path than what God has laid for you - you are still, effectively making a decision over already pre-determined options to begin with, due to the argument that God already know the outcome for "each choice". This would therefore contradict the notion that your choices will essentially spell any difference in your life.

So, if we agree that all the options that we will encounter in our lifetime, have already been "previewed" by God (meaning that the outcomes of those options are already known), and that even act itselt of "making a choice" is already known (due to the argument that God is Omnipresent and Omnipotent) then, the logical derivation of this argument would be the following:

1. That your life is composed of pre-determined choices, all of which have their specific outcomes already identified.

2. That even the "act" itself of making a decision over these options and their corresponding implications in your life have also been determined, long before you were even born (since God already knows what your life's end/story will be).

3. That ultimately, you don't have any control of what your life would end with (circumstances) and that the choices that you've made or the one's you'll be making in the future already have a "pre-determined" result, and all the "impacts" of those decisions are already foretold or mapped.

Kinda makes your skin shrivel doesn't it?

As a consolation though - we know that it's human nature to second guess ourselves and our decisions.

It's the primary reason why we, as a species, choose to exist at a much higher level of consciousness.

It is the same reason why we're even talking about this topic, at this very minute.

I mean, this could probably explain why people, at the dawn of their life is still bitter with the prospects of a different reality over the thought that their lives could've been different if only they've made a different decision - Its in our nature to question their fate in the entire fabric of life, as designed by God.

The moral of the story is, whatever God decides for you in your life's circumstances, is already a pre-determined path, something that "He" has known long before you were even born.

So there's really no value at this point to not trust HIM.

Afterall, He knows your life's story, inside, and out.

That all the pains, worries, and stress that you're experiencing right now, are all part of God's "grand design" of things.

So to be stressed or be worried about every little quirk or problems is essentially moot and frankly, stupid.

And that ultimately, we are all in this for the ride!

We just need to trust Him and His will for the simple fact that He would know what's best for you and me, and everything else that's happening right this very minute, are just details...

Glory to God's name forever!

And they say that logic and religion don't mix... =)