Destiny, Fate, and Purpose:

I recently watched Forrest Gump again and there were certain parts of the movie that prompted discussion, mainly the scenes that dealt with destiny. I've ripped and uploaded the seperate clips along with the script that goes along with it below for you to watch if you're interested in a refresher or just haven't seen the movie.

Spoiler:

Wait for the page to load up and then click on the after the countdown goes away to download the file.

Scene 1: http://www.gigeshare.com/preview/88n...888nn58228g1a/
Lieutenant Dan: Now, you listen to me. We all have a destiny. Nothing just happens, it's all part of a plan. I should have died out there with my men! But now, I'm nothing but a goddamned cripple! A legless freak. Look! Look! Look at me! Do you see that? Do you know what it's like not to be able to use your legs?
Forrest: Well... Yes, sir, I do.
Lieutenant Dan: Did you hear what I said? You cheated me. I had a destiny. I was supposed to die in the field! With honor! That was my destiny! And you cheated me out of it! You understand what I'm saying, Gump? This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to me. I had a destiny. I was Lieutenant Dan Tyler.
Forrest: Yo-You're still Lieutenant Dan.
Lieutenant Dan: Look at me. What am I gonna do now? What am I gonna do now?

Scene 2: http://www.gigeshare.com/preview/778...8851nd168d857/
Forrest: What's the matter, Momma?
Mrs. Gump: I'm dyin', Forrest. Come on in, sit down over here.
Forrest: Why are you dyin', Momma?
Mrs. Gump: It's my time. It's just my time. Oh, now, don't you be afraid, sweetheart. Death is just a part of life. It's something we're all destined to do. I didn't know it, but I was destined to be your momma. I did the best I could.
Forrest: You did good, Momma.
Mrs. Gump: Well, I happened to believe you make your own destiny. You have to do the best with what God gave you.
Forrest: What's my destiny, Momma?
Mrs. Gump: You're gonna have to figure that out for yourself. Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get.

Scene 3: http://www.gigeshare.com/preview/16f...g7d882578g72f/
Forrest: 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.

There is a good definition on destiny (and a little about fate) on Wikipedia if you're unfamiliar with the terms, but quoting the whole thing would just waste space and time, so I quoted parts that I thought were important and relevant if you wanted to read it:

Spoiler:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny

Destiny refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. It is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe.

...

Many people believe destiny is a fixed timeline of events that is inevitable and unchangeable.

Others believe that they choose their own destiny by choosing different paths throughout their life.

...

Although the words are used interchangeably, fate and destiny are distinct things. Modern usage defines fate as a power or agency that predetermines and orders the course of events. The definition of fate has it that events are ordered or "meant to be". Fate is used in regard to the finality of events as they have worked themselves out, and that same finality is projected into the future to become the inevitability of events as they will work themselves out. Fate is an outcome determined by an outside agency acting upon a person or entity; but with destiny the entity is participating in achieving an outcome that is directly related to itself. Participation happens wilfully.

To sum it up, as least from what I understand, destiny is how you choose your own outcome in life through the decisions or indecisions you make, and there are almost an infinite amount of possibilities on where you'll end up at the end of the day, since each action you take affects your future for the better or worse.

While on the other hand, fate is how some other force or entity chooses your outcome in life and you are just being taken on a ride. The choices you think you make and the events that happen to you have been planned out already and nothing is a coincidence. There is only one outcome for you at the end of line.

And then there is purpose, which tie into destiny and fate directly. Purpose in life gives you motivation to keep on living and doing what you're doing. If you had no purpose in life, there wouldn't be much reason to keep on living, since all your actions don't mean anything, and you're pretty much just wasting your time and breath.

Anyway, I think I've wasted enough of your time, so let's just get to the discussion part. Here are some questions that may help guide this discussion and give you something to ponder and speak about, but don't feel limited by just these or feel you have to answer everything on the list, this isn't a test; feel free to open your mind and speak freely. I look forward to seeing your different views on this subject matter and I'll throw in my own opinions later.

• Do you believe in destiny, that you forge your own path in life through the choices you make everyday?
  • Does having a purpose in life help define your destiny and the choices you make?
  • Or is your purpose only made apparent after all your decisions have been made?
• Do you believe in fate, that there is some master plan in life for you, one you can't escape or change?
  • What do you believe your fate is?
  • If there is a fate for us all, is there any significance to anything we do?
• Do you believe there is a purpose to life?
  • What do you believe your purpose in life is?
  • How does your purpose affect your outlook on life?
  • How does your purpose affect the choices you make everyday?
  • Or are we all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, self-deluding ourselves with questions of philosophy?
• Do you believe it is possible to know your own destiny, fate, or purpose?
  • How do you come to know what your destiny, fate, or purpose is?
  • Or do you just come up with your own idea of what your destiny, fate, or purpose is and declare it as such?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The destiny you describe is not mine, nor many dictionaries, definition of destiny. Thus, I will simply lump it with fate and say I believe neither one.

I do believe lives have purpose. At the very least, our purpose is to die and fuel the land above us. At the very least, our purpose is to pass on our thoughts, traditions, and stories onto the next generation. I don't really what I think beyond that. I was raised to believe that God has put us here for a purpose, but that seems to be in direct violation of free will. And that mindset seems too much like destiny/fate in any case.

Do I think I can find out what I'll become? No. Can I have some sense of where my life is headed and change the course? Sure.

And, Yamamanama, I believe the story your thinking of is Oedipus Rex. And, yes, it is Greek.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I don't actually believe in the concept of fate or destiny myself, but I really love the idea. I think it's neat to be able to claim that "it was kismet" or "he was destined to do it," as well as being able to place good luck or misfortune into either category freely.

Something in the first post made me think that destiny is impossible without hindsight. Now I'm starting to form this idea that we can already claim that what we've accomplished was our destiny because it's already been done and set in stone.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

If destiny is real, living has no meaning. You're an actor in someone else's play.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?