What is your take on those things??

Personally I've always thought things happen for a reason. even when bad things have happened in my life, I've come out of them stronger, so I feel they were fated to happen to shape me as a person.

Signs...i'm a little tossed up on. I do, and I dont believe in this. Odd things have happened to me. Like songs coming on at an exact moment u think about something, or just something happening when you least expect it. I dont know it's hard to explain but sometimes yes I believe in signs. But sometimes it's hard, because it also feels like u are believing in something not real. but I mean just because u cant see the wind doesnt mean it doesnt exsist right?

Destiny: Hm. I dont know. Is there an ultimate destiny that no matter what steps u take, you are destined to go this path or that? I'm not too sure on. I feel you make your own path in life. Everything you are confronted with, u decide to either take as a positive lesson or a bad on. Even in the worst situations i really try my best to take the better outta it, even if i'm mad or incredibly hurt. Does it matter that even if I had taken the negative eventually i'll end up in the same spot at the end? I dont know. I think taht you are presented with opportunities that can ultimately affect your destiny but I dont feel it's pre-determined. and if it is, it's only pre-determined to a certain degree.

anyways what do you all think?

Anything that happens, happens.
Anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen.
Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again.
It doesn't necessarily do it in chronological order, though.

I don't believe in any of it. Fate and destiny are malleable, signs are open to interpretation. Life is not predetermined. It is what you make it.

So short and yet sensible hehe. I like your reply Rob. Smart and logical. U have the best mind when it comes to debating things and seeing things for what they are or arent. It's short but to the pt. You make good sense, so I do agree with your pt.

So many words just to say I'm a genius. :p

Don't believe in 'em.

haha yes yes. I do agree. I tend to be a woman of many words. you are smart, charismatic...charming, endearing, truthful, unbiased, strong willed...yup...you are a Genius heeh. I coulda just came out and said that, but why spoil the fun? :p

Fate, destiny, and signs fall into the same category as Love at first sight, soul mates, and several other ideas but which I will not list because it could start a flame war. They are all meant to be a comfort against things humans either can't comprehend or are not willing to. Well, that's roughly what I believe. I could get more detailed, but I just don't feel like it.

And no, I'm not some stale by the book guy. I am creative and romantic within the limits of practicality(though joking around about different things I wish I could do is always fun, like taking over North America and Australia ).

I think it's rather pretentious and selfish to believe there's a god or higher power guiding your path. I understand it must be a very comforting thought to think the earth is the center of the universe, but I prefer to accept that I'm just a tiny speck on an insignificant rock floating amonst infinite existance. To the universe, how I exist and interact with the universe is completely irrelevant. I could find cures for all known diseases, be the richest man ever to live, conquer and rule over the human race, and I would still be an insignificant speck.

hehe ok then dont strain yourself :p haha u are no fun. I like hearing your explanation of things. I truely honestly do. But since u "dont feel like it" hehe jk I tease becuz u are great lol. but if u ever "feel like it" post your thoughts in here ok :p

I just finished watching the movie "Signs" (Excellent movie by the way) 2 minutes ago, and I come on here, and this is the first thread on the list...

make of this what you will... lol

oh no, my belief in god never states that I feel a higher power is merelyfor the earth. If anything I had a science teacher back in 7th grade that said "think of all the beaches in all the word and all the grains of sand on them. Now all the grains of sand dont even cover how big the universe is. and our world is just one tiny speck of sand. are you going to tell me there is absolutely no other life out there? Of course there has to be, but have they visited us, highly unlikely" lol anyways something had to have created the universe. but I guess it comes back the the whole what came first "the chicken or the egg" type concept.

Only from our limited perspective where everything has a begining and an end, and things have to be created in order to exist. It sort of goes with the logic your teacher was describing. Existance is bigger than you think, there's no need to confine yourself to what you perceive. Because if you do, then you can't really understand the scale of the universe - It's only what you can see and understand.

touche...very well put, good pt. flex well I dont negate anyone any concepts of how they perceive things. I feel you make a good point. That is true, from birth I think we are confined into the thoughts imposed upon us by the school system. I like how u are thinking outside the box. Stretches you to think further about things, a response very similar to something Kieran might say hehe

He's more philosophic than I am.

At the risk of sounding anal, no human will ever understand the scale of the universe.

As for the topic, I believe in Signs but Fate and Destiny are a bit sketchy. I believe we have a purpose, an ultimate goal but that's not the same as destiny. The way I understand it, destiny is set, it will happen. Having a purpose doesn't mean you fulfill that purpose, you succeed or you fail.

I believe in fate and destiny. Some things are just meant to be.

Fate doesn't exist.
Signs don't exist.
Destiny doesn't exist.

Signs are just things that happen that people label as signs. Anything can be a sign if people want them to be.

Fate is just a fancy way of describing events as they are taking place or will take place.

Destiny and fate are synonymous.

It's a huge load of crap. All of it.

Is it really any coincidence that as I was reading this thread and I got to Agent Smith talking about watching Signs, that I realized the Main Title cue from Signs was playing? I've got a playlist playing right now that is 185 hours long. After Signs, it went to the cue of music from the laser-guided missile sequence in Clear and Present Danger ("Boom...")

FATE: I don't believe in the conventional definition, but I do think that at times life is random. Which leads me to the next point...

SIGNS: There are signs and there are coincidences. I'm a theist, not a deist or agnostic, so I believe that God is present and active in life. Some things in life just line up and I learn something or I'm coerced to do something I otherwise wouldn't have and sometimes they line up for no reason. It just so happens that, many times, when that occurs, good comes from it, even if indirectly.

DESTINY: It's an ego thing, I know, but I believe in it. Of course I think my belief in it only enhances it. I believe God has destined me to be a filmmaker. My work would probably be pretty bland if I didn't have the imagination or gall to recount my life and entertain the notion that it had been shaped and directed by a supernatural power that controlled the universe. I often refer to General George S. Patton when it comes to thinking about destiny. I would guess the dialogue in the movie comes pretty close to portraying what the man actually thought. He felt like he was destined to be a great commander and that he was the reincarnation of all great warriors and poets that ever lived. I won't go as far as to watch The Godfather, talk about how great it is, then say, "I was there, Brad." But I do believe that forces have conspired to see to it that I wind up at particular places at particular times so that I will be prepared for my one calling in life (thus far). How's a filmmaker supposed to make epic stories if he doesn't see his own story as an epic?

Fate: No, it could be nice though.

Signs: No.

Destiny: No, it could be nice though.

Fate: Not really. I dont think that the future is ever written in stone. The whole idea of free will is important to me. I think that if free will did not exist, things would be a lot different- there would be a lot less conflict in the world, for better or for worse. In order to have our freedom of concious choice taken away, authority would have to be imposed by some higher conciousness, and therefore every human being would all be in alignment with him. With all the disagreeing going on in the world, I think its safe to say that free will is a freedom we retain.

Unfortunately, I think we are bound by a few other, more earthly restraints though that attempt take away much of our free will. Society is a big one, occaisionally government as well.

Signs: These I would say definately exist in the world, but most people go through life missing them. For me, just seeing a beautiful sunrise/sunset, or taking a hike in the adirondacks is a sign that there must be some higher authority running things. Every modern physics class I sit through, learning about Quantum Mechanics, I become more convinced that nature isnt random, that someone or something is responsible for it all. (Speaking of which... Science never attempts to explain the 'why' of things, only the 'how.' This the first is a common misconception, in actuallity, science can co-exist with religion.)

I'm reading a very good book right now by CS Lewis about Moral Law called Mere Christianity. It's about what drives us to do the "right thing" in the face of every animal instinct we have. What makes someone run into a burning building to save a child, regardless of their own safety? Lewis says that the fact that we all have this desire within us to do the right thing is a sign that there is a higher being who has given it too us. There's no way it could be a product of evolution becuase many times, it does go against our other instincts that we have gained from evolution.

Destiny: My interpretation of this is a bit different from the normal interpretation. Basically, I think we are all given the ability to do great things in our lives. Whether or not we live up to these abilities is up to us. I dont think there is any one specific path we are meant to follow however.

I don't need anything to guide me in life except for my own thoughts and feelings.

What is the sound of **** happening?

I believe we shape our own futures. The idea of fate has never really made sense to me, especially with my Christian background. Why would God give us free will, only to throw us into an existence where we would have none?