Lines of Causality.

I've been going over it and over it in my head. After awhile, the probability begins to bleed past my comprehension, and I find myself unable to ponder certain scenarios beyond a certain point. This has become a sort of philosophical singularity.

Fate has been a principle with us from the beginning, the idea that that which happens, happens for a reason. It is a design shared by many different human societies.

I do not believe in fate. I have come to believe that which we call fate is simply an incomplete translation of larger, more comprehensive revelation; an aborted logical view of time, probability, cause, effect, and random chance.

We are not pawns of fate, but of causality. There are lines of causality which run through everything that exists, paths which lead from what was to what will be. I believe we recognize this idea on an almost primal level, but we view it as a muddled shape within our minds; an incomplete artifact which only hints at the true complexity of existence. Easier to believe that a mystic force guides these lines to final destination, to our joy and grief. Easier to find comfort in this hope, than to accept a different solution, one in which the lowest probability exists well beyond the range of human perception.

Every second of every day, every breath we take, every wind that blows, is the inexorable result of probability we cannot begin to fathom.

Better then, that Fate control us. But is Fate the easy solution is thought to be? The simple answer? It cannot be.

For instance:

Sue and Bob meet one day in a coffee shop. Bob is walking to an empty table when he passes Sue, an he notices that she is reading a new book on Evolutionary Biology. This is a subject that interests Bob much, and he has read this same book only a few short days ago. Bob stops and mentions this to Sue, and the two soon fall into an engrossing conversation. This conversation reveals that the two share many similar interests: Mountain biking, classical music, French cinema, Italian food, and many other pursuits. They soon begin a happy relationship, and are married, have children, grow old together, and die.

This can appear to be a simple serendipitous event, when viewed from afar. Two people, with similar interests, meet in a coffee shop. Surely fate could handle such a meeting?

But what if we look deeper? Let us uncover more detail about our hypothetical soul mates, Bob and Sue. Perhaps beginning with why Bob was in this shop in the first place?

Bob had just recently rented a new apartment, which was just one block away from this particular shop. He had moved into a new apartment because he had received a substantial promotion at his job. He received this raise because his former supervisor, David, was killed an automobile accident. Bob was tapped to replace David as the new supervisor. His new salary allowed him to move closer to his place of employment.

Perhaps Sue likewise had such a convoluted series of events lead her to the shop that morning. The probability for our lovers to meet is now much more startling than previously thought.

And still, we can go further. Why was Bob in the city at all? How did Bob develop his interests? How did Bob's parents meet? How did their parents meet? And their parents. And so on, and so forth.

And now we have further complications. All the events in the lives of Bob's parents, and grandparents, and ancestors, in the machinery of fate, were all these other existences, these full lives and real people, were they simply gears turning to bring Bob and Sue together? Are all lives, throughout all time, spinning perfectly in unison to control the destinies of all people?

Bob met Sue because David died. Did David's family need suffer so that Bob and Sue could be happy? What if there was another driver involved in David's accident? Does this unnamed family also need suffer? Will Bob and Sue experience pain, loss, or unhappiness for the simple reason that it will directly or indirectly lead to happiness for another person?

It is my belief that no such construct exists.

It is the Lines that are true.

We are not pawns of a mystical force, though perhaps we do have destiny. We may not be actors in a cosmic play, fulfilling the roles created by an omnipresent playwright, but perhaps our actions are scripted.

It is not a contradiction, though it may sound as such.

Every action we take, no matter how common or small it may seem, will have an effect. The infamous butterfly, and the wind that he shall spawn. Is the butterfly fated to kill dozens simply because he seeks food, or a mate? Is that what fate is?

All actions lead to an effect, this effect is complicated by the actions of others, and the influence of events outside of any direct control, such as weather, time, space, physics, and all other laws of nature.

Where some choose to believe fate, I see Lines of Causality. I spend my time reviewing actions attributed to That Force, and working back slowly, determining why the pieces were there, how they came to that destination.

Soon, you reach the wall. The singularity, the point at which the probability of the event escapes the comprehension of any human mind. You look at a person you love, and realize that for them to be there with you, you needed to meet them. Your parents, and theirs, needed to meet also. As did theirs. And theirs.

I have found wonder and awe in the most inconsequential of moments and objects.

The leaf that falls at my feet... statistically, the tree that it fell from should not exist at all, yet it does. The pretty girl in the red dress should not exist. My first kiss should never have happened, I should not know my best friends, I should not hate my worst enemies.

Fate does not lead us through this life. Rather, we adapt to the effects of those that came before us, and sometimes, we are lucky. Other times, perhaps we are not. But to find that life is meaningless without certain destiny is beyond foolish. Everything is a miracle of chance and probability, of cause and effect. Every good thing we have is a triumph against an uncaring universe. It is something to celebrate, and cherish all the more.

That we can find love in such chaos is beautiful.