Tuesday, 25 August 2009

I'm your density. I mean...your destiny*

*George McFly in Back To The Future.

Do you believe in destiny?  I always thought of destiny as something that was quite romantic.  Two people finding each other, being together because it was meant to be, etc.  But I'm reading a novel now called Downtown Owl, by Chuck Klosterman, which is a cynical and quirky look at small town life in North Dakota.  In part of it, a couple of the characters had interesting takes on the concept of destiny that made me reconsider for a second.  To paraphrase:  Predestination is lazy.  It is a mental construction for people who do not want to take responsibility for their own actions.  Furthermore, in a predetermined world, every human achievement would be devoid of meaning, or at least devoid of credit..

I still prefer my (and George McFly's) view of destiny, but it's interesting to see it from the other side.

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