Paths in ones life

[terryl965]

How many believe no matter what road you take you will always end up at the same place?

With that being said, why does it matter what path we take then cause the outcome will always be the same?

Now if the outcome is always going to be different how does one know?

Terry

[matt.m]

How many believe no matter what road you take you will always end up at the same place?

With that being said, why does it matter what path we take then cause the outcome will always be the same?

Now if the outcome is always going to be different how does one know?

Terry
You know I believe that we have free will for decision making processing for a reason. I mean consider this: If I had been in supply during my enlistment I would not have gone to Haiti and participate in riot control or house to house fighting.

[JasonASmith]

Ahh, the whole pre-destination thing...
No, I believe that where you end up is due to the choices that you make...
If any of you have ever seen the British comedy Red Dwarf in any length, that is somewhat of an accurate representation on how I think...

[Jade Tigress]

How many believe no matter what road you take you will always end up at the same place?

With that being said, why does it matter what path we take then cause the outcome will always be the same?

Now if the outcome is always going to be different how does one know?

Terry

Well Terry, this is kind of how I view the topic of fate.... :idunno: ...I just don't know.

[crushing]

At the same time my freewill impacts the fate of others, so to does others mine. My path isn't determined, WE are creating it.

Well, it makes sense in my head.

[Xue Sheng]

Ironically

I view this kind of like a "tree" with many branches or the road not taken. Choices present themselves to you and it depends on which road or branch you choose.

If you will -

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

--Robert Frost

[Carol]

How many believe no matter what road you take you will always end up at the same place?

With that being said, why does it matter what path we take then cause the outcome will always be the same?

Now if the outcome is always going to be different how does one know?

Terry


WHy does it matter what path you take?

From a literal perspective...

If I were to go to New York City (about 200 miiles away) I could potentially walk, ride a bike, drive, ride a bus, take a train, or take a plane. The outcome is the same...I still get to NYC, why does it matter which path I take?

Becuase, the path matters. The path is what you live and feel from day to day. Because you are NOT at the destination, and you may not know what the destination is. You only know the path. Many of the paths have purpose, but not all of them are appropriate. And, these paths never come with a map.

A choice of path may lead to the same destination, but before you reach your destination, your path will always bring you to....other paths. Paths you must walk before you get to where you are going. The paths you walk are never a singular decision. They are a continunous choice. The paths may be a pleasant surprise, a cruel suprprise, or they may be predictable.

[bydand]

I guess I have an odd view on this topic. I think no matter what path is taken, in the end you will end up where you need to be. More than likely all the paths will end close to the same "location" BUT (and it is a big but), you will be different when you arrive.

Example: If I had kept the friends I had when I was 20, would I have met my wife when I was 30? Probably, under vastly different circumstances, seeing how she is an ER nurse, she probably would have met me after a violent bar fight, or drunk driving accident in the ER. Would she have given me the time of day - not a chance, so that is where I think the "locations" would be close, but not exactly the same. Same people, same ages, same town, one way ends with love, marriage, and 4 great kids, the other way ends with her telling her friends about the guy who wasted his life she saw that day. (I like the path I picked!!!)

Now that I have totally confused the issue, I'll take my leave.

[Cirdan]

God does not play with dice. I do.

[pstarr]

I believe that not all paths lead to the top of the mountain. It's entirely possible to take a wrong turn and end up at the edge of a precipice or fall into thistles and thorns...

[Bob Hubbard]

Each choice leads to a different path. Some paths will lead you cross other paths you didnt take, while some will never again touch upon the roads not taken. In the end, all roads lead to dust, but some offer more enjoyable and beautiful scenery than others.

[Kacey]

If you will -

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

--Robert Frost

Xue Sheng, you took the quote Terry's post made me think of.

I think that how you travel is as important as your destination - and that how you travel can change your destination, as well.

I don't know how to know that the path is changed by the choices we make on it, except to look at other people in similar circumstances who make different choices.

[OnlyAnEgg]

First off, I like the Frost quote, Xue. Very apropos.

The whole process of considering free will vs predestination always makes my mouth dry and, typically, makes me stumble about as well. I have walked paths with and without a Guide and, no matter, I tend to end up where I need to be just when I need to be there. Oftentimes, I seem to take a more meandering (indeed, convoluted) path when I have the map in hand; but, I have to say, the forces in my life direct me to some degree.

I have successfully avoided certain circumstances of my own will. I have caused events to occur sooner than, perhaps, was best. I have, just as Gandalf, arrived exactly when I meant to. What causes any of these to happen in the manner and sequence they do is beyond be. Be it God or karma or Tao or a roll of the bones, it just is.

It's my job to either go with it or against it.

[still learning]

Hello, We all have choices to choose. Many times I ask what would my life be like if I did join army, or move to another state?

In the end the answer is "we would never know the answer" !

The path we did take is what our life becomes of what we make it! You choose the way you want your life to be...sometimes we make others choose for us (the weak minded).

Accept were you are, make the most of what you do have, enjoy the your life as it is!

You can always IMPOVE YOUR OWN LIFE! Start now! and create your own way/path. Setting goals...very important in knowing what you want out of your life! ............Aloha


Money isn't always the answer, it does make llife a little more easier...but it is ALL in you mind! Your Happiness is what you make it!

[zDom]

Always in motion, the future is. :yoda-smiley:

[Touch Of Death]

Historicly most of us operate with in predictable parameters.
Sean

[Grenadier]

Funny that you asked that... In my case, it was more of a matter of no matter what decision the chief instructor made, regarding location of a dojo, I would have ended up in the system.

When I moved to Alabama, I looked high and low for any sort of decent Karate dojo. None were to be found nearby, but as it turns out, I did find a great place about 20 miles away. I'm glad that I ended up in this organization.

The chief instructor there had come ever so close to buying a building that was right across from my lab, a while back. Had he bought the building there and opened up a dojo, I would have certainly been in the system, just a bit earlier.

[w.kaer]

I guess I have an odd view on this topic. I think no matter what path is taken, in the end you will end up where you need to be. More than likely all the paths will end close to the same "location" BUT (and it is a big but), you will be different when you arrive.

Example: If I had kept the friends I had when I was 20, would I have met my wife when I was 30? Probably, under vastly different circumstances, seeing how she is an ER nurse, she probably would have met me after a violent bar fight, or drunk driving accident in the ER. Would she have given me the time of day - not a chance, so that is where I think the "locations" would be close, but not exactly the same. Same people, same ages, same town, one way ends with love, marriage, and 4 great kids, the other way ends with her telling her friends about the guy who wasted his life she saw that day. (I like the path I picked!!!)

Now that I have totally confused the issue, I'll take my leave.

Very similar situation for me.

I find that the one key decision I come back to is why I didn't go regular Army when I joined up. I joined the Reserves to help pay for college. (For some reason I thought colleges would magically disappear if I went active duty.) But if I had gone active, I would not have returned home and to the same place of work when training was all over and met the woman that would eventually become my wife and give me two beautiful children. How could I ever regret that decision?

Since the woulda, coulda, shoulda game can drive one nuts, my main focus now is to make decisions that I can be proud of today. If I can keep my principles in sight and make the right decisions for today, I won't have any reason for regret later. Just my thoughts. :asian:

[delicate Flower]

"A PATH ALONG A STREAM IS FULL OF PERIL"
Zhang Kejiu, Yuan Dynasty
"STAND UPON THE HIGHEST RIDGE, AND SEE, HOW SMALL THE OTHER MOUNTAINS SEEM"
Du Fu, Tang Dynasty
Fate Destiny???? You will get where you need to go if you dont look behind

[Brandon Fisher]

I think we have to choose based on what we feel is right. I am big believer in that god guides us on a path during our lifetime. We may or may not know if something will work out until we try. Thats why we are not perfect, mistakes happen.

[MA-Caver]

How many believe no matter what road you take you will always end up at the same place?

With that being said, why does it matter what path we take then cause the outcome will always be the same?

Now if the outcome is always going to be different how does one know?

Terry

Ceicei and I discussed this concept in part during one of our "deep-talks" that we enjoy with each other, the other night.
I observed that instead of dropping out of college and doing the drug scene and later sobering up and living my life as it is now; that I had gone the route/path that my father had planned out for me and stayed in college and gotten my degrees (probably be holding 2 Ph.D's by now) and gotten my career and all of that... chances are that she and I would probably never have met. But I told her that it would've been possible (highly possible) that we probably would've met here on MT. She wondered if I would've been interested in MA as I am now. I replied with certianty that I most likely would be, as I recall with that deep vaugeness that is present when trying to remember young child-hood memories that I (living in the Washington D.C. area ... Vienna Va.) met in person Jhoon Rhee during a MA demonstration that my family attended. I must've been about four or five yrs. old at the time and thus the memory is very cloudy but I do recall getting that exposure while I was in the D.C. (area). I do know that it was one of the first of many MA exposures I've had as a child. Later came the Bruce Lee, Billy Jack movies and eventual Kung-Fu (David Carradine series) that got my love for MA in motion and that influenced my personal studies which continue to this day.
So do all paths chosen take us to an inevitable destination? :idunno: Who can tell? How do we know exactly where we would end up 2, 5, 10 years from now? How do we know that the people we meet and exchange effects aren't random but pre-determined?
Big question is... does it really, honestly matter? Whatever paths we choose in our lives we should make the best of the experience(s) along that path. Best thing is... if we don't like it, we can always, ALWAYS change the path we're on.

Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there's still time to change the road you're on " ~Led Zeppelin