Destiny verses accidental.

"Jenny, I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time." >Forrest Gump
I just want to know what your thoughts on destiny /and/or accidental are in general?

Fate or free will? Knowing your Christian devotion Mike, I can guess what your views are.

I believe they coexist, but I couldn't care to elaborate on such a laboriously clichéd topic.

A lot of people think that believing in fate and destiny means that we don't have free will, the truth is I believe in destiny, but I don't believe that it deprives us of free will, we don't know what the future holds for us and that is what makes it 'free will' because if we did know the future we would change it, and it would change... but I do believe that it is all planned out for us, how we live, when and how we die, who we fall in love with and how many children we have, tell me do we choose who we fall in love with? no, we have a feeling and that feeling isn't our choice. Some people out there try so hard in having children and can't and others have had enough and yet have some more without really planning it... you never know when and how you are going to die, you can't plan it out, even people who commit suicide don't always die because it's not their time yet. I can't tell you why I feel and think this way, but I guess I'm convinced in it because it seems logical to me and helps me through lifes miss-happs, it's easier to think that it "has" to happen then to think I could have stopped it.

I believe before we all were born we were presented with the plan of how our lives were going to be lived and we agreed to it.

I want to believe so much in a planned destiny for our lives. But were those 50 in Buffalo destined all their lives to die in a firey crash? Was the woman just killed by her husband destined all her life to be beheaded by him?? I just dont know anymore!!

I believe that we make our own lives. We choose our own decisions so we our every day depends on our decision that we made. Getting out of bed early, choosing what to wear, arguing with a lover, going out to eat etc., etc.

If anyone has seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, you'd see how he describes a scene in the movie that everything would be different based on people's decisions.

I don't really believe in destiny, I believe that our decisions affect everything. Our reactions, every single thing we do changes something in our life.

In the case of Lieutenant Dan, could it be possible that his belief in destiny could have affected his decision to order Forrest to leave him to die in the field, and save himself, since all of his forefathers had died in battle? Forrest made the decision to buy a shrimp boat because he made a promise to Bubba who decided not to avoid the draft and was killed in the war

Forrest and Lieutenant Dan was failing badly in the shrimp industry until a storm destroyed the competition

It may not be possible that the fictional character of Forrest Gump could have accidentally became a millionaire, but the movie was extremely popular maybe because it made people laugh, cry, and think

Kieth you say that they are destined to live to die, the way you put it we are all destined to a curtain death, but it is not the purpose of life.
I believe in destiny, but I don't put it that way. I look at destiny in it's good and bad parts, and you are not only destined to your end, you are destined to your life in little pieces and it all depends on your descision, if you knew what you were destined to you would change it to what you are comfortable with, and thats why you have free will. I don't believe that people are destined to live a curtain age and when they reach it they die wherever they are, wherever life leads them, you know like in final destination.

I agree though it is not to say we are not free agents and we are effected by natural law which has two sides

Hmm, I don't know. In my opinion, if destiny is true then that means humans have no free will. That everything in this whole world is planned and we can't control our fate.

But I don't know...cuz I don't believe that everything is accidental but I believe that humans can make choices and change their fate...