Fall of the dice versus predestined plan debate

There are some who believe life consists of a series of chance events, and there is little sway over or no master plan which determines our life journeys and different experiences.

Many others are convinced that everything that happens in our lives has been mapped out and fits into the story of our fate and predestination.

Religious beliefs, philosophies and ideologies play a determining role in these perspectives, and once a viewpoint is taken, there will seldom be any deviation from that belief. It becomes a part of the psyche and very fabric of that person.

While these two groups are diametrically opposed in their understanding of life, there is no denying that no-one can claim to know exactly what is going to happen, and when.

Given this, chance and the “roll-of-the-dice” arguably play a significant role in the journey that may appear to be mapped out for our lives.

But what about choice? And what of environmental factors, seemingly freak accidents and changed circumstances that radically alter our paths?

Can predestination explain their ramifications on our lives, or does chance and the “fall of the dice” carry sway?

Some may argue effective contemplation of the answer to these two extremes is beyond the comprehension of mankind.

Our levels of understanding do not extend to the requisite insight depths that can categorically establish the incontrovertible truth in this matter.

Of course there is also the role of chance that applies in the world of gambling.

The “fall of the dice” can win or lose fortunes, destroy lives and enrich casino owners and their management. Most of us would find it difficult to entertain the claim that there is any measure of fate or predetermination in the gambling fortunes of roulette players.

Then there is the term, “illfated”, which is often used to describe unfortunate events that appear to have been predetermined to fail.

The sinking of the Titanic, unsuccessful marriages, trips or holidays that are dogged by disaster, and failed businesses come to mind. Were these purely chance events, or were they part of a master plan and predestined to occur?

Are there forces at play that defy our understanding? Events such as these play a major role in making life one of the mysteries for humans on our planet.

Perfectly understandably, literature abounds with quotes many from famous thinkers on the topic of life and dice.

And equally predictably, the divide between the fatalists and master plan devotees, and the “fall of the dice” subscribers is clear.

This perennial debate has occupied minds and inhabited centre stage of deliberations about the nature of life since the advent of inquiring minds and reasoning. These views make for interesting and stimulating reading:

Tyron Woodley’s contention: ”If the risk is high, the reward is high ... Why not roll the dice?” contrasts with Horace who ventures that: “Curst is the wretch enslaved to such a vice, who ventures life and soul upon the dice.”

Charles R Swindoll believes we are lovingly placed on this earth for a purpose, as opposed to being thrown across the table like a dice.

Stephen Hawking claims that Einstein was wrong when he said that God does not play dice, citing “black holes” as a “hiding place” for where they have been thrown.

While most of us are only likely to come to a full understanding of what the ultimate truth is in the afterlife, speculation and reassuring belief systems will always be a part of mankind in our need to feel comfortable and at ease with life. Is man predestined to ponder these questions?