Destiny - My thoughts · 9:03pm Oct 9th, 2015

Disclaimer: This blog has nothing to do with the game.

Destiny. That one word holds so much weight in certain instances. Especially in MLP, where your destiny is quite literally on display. No naughty jokes here, sorry.

Destiny is defined as

: what happens in the future : the things that someone or something will experience in the future
: a power that is believed to control what happens in the future

and is a popular theme which artists and thinkers have explored and debated on for longer than anyone can remember. All the same, people generally like to believe they are in control of their own destinies and aren't subject to the interference of some omnipotent deity or cosmic power or whatever.

These people are right in one sense, and wrong in another.

We would ever know whether we, as people, are bound to a predetermined fate set by X god/force/whatever, but I personally don't believe we are*. What I do believe, however, is that people don't have as much control over their destinies as they might like to think. What do i mean by that, you (might) ask? Think about it like this: who created you? Who made you what you are today? Who raised you, nurtured you, and taught you everything that shaped your character?

That's right, your parents.

Now you probably know what I'm getting at, and you're probably disgusted/confused about my meaning. Do I believe one's parents dictate the path they'll walk for their entire lives, making their choices before they even know of them? Do I think people have no semblance of free will outside of what their parents taught them? Am I trying to say that one's parents should be punished for any misdeeds their children commit?

In order:

1. A person's character is defined by their life experiences, with the most influential being those which occur during their youth. A person who has a loving family, plenty of friends, and positive experiences with the world around them is naturally going to grow up to be a happy camper. Conversely, someone who has an abusive, dysfunctional family, no social life, and feels like the world's out to get them is going to turn out disgruntled, cynical, and possibly even suicidal if it gets bad enough. But while experiences will differ between people, one factor remains the same for everyone: until you've reached a certain age where that sense of self-awareness and charisma begins to take hold, everything you do is determined by how 'the world' raises you.

2. A person's free will isn't absolute, as they're confined by the margins of their character. For example, a person whose favorite drink is OJ will naturally choose to have that instead of any other drink if the choice is available, unless they're curious enough to say "I'm gonna mix it up and try X other drink", but that's only if they've retained the natural curiosity which all people are born with. If they've lost it, and have instead become dismissive/complacent with what they have, then they'll never choose another drink on their own. Give them an incentive ("The cran-grape juice is half the price of the OJ, sir/madam.") and they might stray from the norm, but then the choice wasn't entirely theirs, as they were affected by outside influence.

3. Parents are already punished for the misdeeds of their children. Not to say I'd like it there, but when you really think about it, jail isn't a horrible place to be. You get food, a roof over your head, and (sort of) safety in the form of guards who'll keep all the nutjobs you're forced to live with in line. You do lose every semblance of freedom, yes, but you're still alive and surrounded by people who can empathize with you. Your parents, however, are left emotional wrecks, wondering "What did I do wrong?" and "If only I could take X thing I said back" in addition to the scrutiny they face from society for "failing at their parenting duties". I don't know about you, but I'd say the parents have it worse between the two.

Basically, what I'm saying is this: take care in how you raise your children, if you have/will have any. I don't plan on having any, but all the same, I take care about how I treat children.

And now I'm off to do more deep thinking and stuff.