My dad always said that every person's destiny is already written and events happen around to reach that goal. But I feel it is more of our choices which lead us to our destiny. What do you think?

I think a person's 'destiny' may be laid out in front of them
but they face making choices every day of their life
that can alter it.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

No, but I do believe in Destiny's Child.

everything is about choices you make... our destiny isn't written in stone, but on many stones, each one depending on what choice you make at any given time..

very well put
mine was along the same lines
you are young and your destiny might be in that town but yet your parents move and never go back
<shrug>
more or less same thing

...but if you make it happen then you have fulfilled your destiny.....so we need to find away to get all us fun loving crazies in the same spot..it must be our destiny...why else would I love so many perfect strangers...

Well said, my lady, well said..!!

Jimi I agree with your second option. I personally don't belive in destiny. I belive in hard work, faith and family.
If there is such a thing, you have to work.

I agree with what Moe said for the most part. It really seems that generally, for every action there is a reaction.

But I also see life from an alternative angle.

There are innocent people that die from diseases whose causes can not be medically explained, from freak accidents that have nothing to do with human error, and from natural disasters which could not have been predicted.

By the same token there are people who have survived all of the above-mentioned scenarios AGAINST all the odds narrated to us by all the medical and scientific professionals.

This indicates to me that there are some aspects of life that are totally outside of our realm of control . I don't want to get caught up in the semantics of calling that destiny, but there are some phenomena in life that are outside the realm of choices in my opinion

If destiny is defined as a predetermined plan, perhaps it's more of a failsafe. A start point or a reset and the space between is filled with potential.

I wish someone thought I was a perfect stranger.

Anyway, destiny. As a magic force, nope, I'm not in.

I also disagree sharply with the people who aggressively declare that we all make our own destiny. That thought gets used too often, to excuse refusing to care for the old, the frail, the handicapped, and so on.

One of my favorite old movie quotes: Bogart as Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep:

"Carmen Sternwood: You're not very tall are you?

Philip Marlowe: Well, I, uh, I tried to be."

We're all born with limitations and opportunities, spelled out in a complicated intersection of our DNA, our time, and our place. We can try to be the best us that we can be, and we might get lucky and fool enough people or simply luck into circumstances where we get far more than we "should" have, given our inborn skills and talents. Or, we might try just as hard as everyone else, but suffer timing errors, or something I think of as "life lesson sequencing errors," and therefore not do near as well as we might have otherwise done.

So I'm opposed to attributing too MUCH to destiny, but I'm also opposed to discounting it entirely.

...thank you beautiful..I know it was in my destiny to find you..you have provided me with so much just by existing...as so many others on this mingle thingy...we were all destined to be on this site...and through just a simple hello so many of us all over the world are so close..although so far...I can say a lot of stories and comments I have read really affected me in many ways...soooo perhaps I was destined to be here in order to make the right choice in something that by reading one of your comments will bring me closer to fulfilling my destiny...or not...but I do love this place...

i remember someone saying "the destinies are already written, but how you get to the destination may alter depending on your preferences. you may get it from the easier or harder way"

Topic: Do you believe in destiny?

No, I believe in choice

Russian roulette is the best method to tell about the reality of destiny , you just need guts more than brains to try it .

I know you are being facetious, but I still want to point out that this kind of thing, is a common misapplication of logic.

Or rather, it flat out ignores both logic, and grammar, as in it doesn't have anything to do with answering the question. Yeah, it can make a person feel clever, but in order to go this way, you have to ignore the obvious meaning of "destiny" here.

After all, those who believe in magical destiny, will simply say that if you live, or if you die, it will still simply prove that that was your destiny.

That's the problem with MOST attempts to "prove" magic is real (or unreal). By definition, magic isn't subject to logic.

Was busy with Jenny's issue and got time now only. Wow mixed bag of response for destiny.

Well when ever I say that I get a reply that choices are just ways or trajectory to reach that destiny. Actually we observe events and think that is the destiny but in reality there are series of event which leads to the destiny and the path/choice is just there to determine how many events will come before you reach there.

This reply reminds me of the movie Matrix...how choices are important but how much influence does destiny has on your life

Hard work, faith and choices doesn't work sometimes there are many times where I have seen things going against even after putting my sweat and blood in it and me ending up shouting at god and my luck. So destiny has it importance and it shows up as time progresses.