Whenever I face a setback or disappointment, I am comforted by my beliefs in absolute determinism, that I was always destined to act as I did at that time, that every action by ourselves and by others is unavoidable. Today I watched a few minutes of the film The Pink Panther. It was always my destiny to watch it at that time. Now that I've seen it, I've mentioned it here, which was also inevitable. Whether I achieve fame and fortune, or endure a life of struggle, I am unable to resist destiny either way. How can we align the concept of freedom with the truth of determinism?
Stoicism was forged by a slave with no control over his life, yet most people feel that they are in control of their lives; it's almost the arrogant cry of the modern human that we are not slaves. Yet I am certain that we are all slaves to fate, and that we never have any control over any aspect of the universe. This might be a good coping mechanism for an unhappy life but would it dampen a happy one? Yes, if the happiness were created by a feeling of control or dominance, which itself is, at best, a false belief, and at worst, exploiting others who are unaware of this truth.
Generally, people prefer to be happy and live a lie, people will prefer ignorance and peace, rather than be disturbed by the truth of their powerlessness and unimportance. Yet, for me, knowledge of the actual truth creates a unique form of happiness. Perhaps this is what Buddhists call Nirvana.
