My former master, who was once my teacher when I studied philosophy, said something very valuable to me, which I think I have already written about before this article: "Whatever is not rational cannot exist. Only what is rational can exist." However, with generalizations like this, the counterargument can be obvious: find one thing in this universe that does not happen without a reason, and my former master's claim will be incorrect. This is because all generalizations can be broken by at least one thing that does not follow the generalization.
If he is correct, then we need to understand that there are two kinds of reasoning that we should not confuse: logical reasoning, which is a chain of events, and designed reasoning, which is one that is planned from the very beginning.
People are born with a reason, whether or not we believe in destiny or fate, even if that reason is an accident or a simple biological process. Likewise, we do not need to believe in destiny to know that people are born because they survived pregnancy and were not miscarried; this is true whether one is a determinist or not.
Therefore, regardless of what you may believe in, we can all agree that people are born because they undergo a certain biological development that is responsible for them becoming the next generation of humanity (or of any other species, as that isn't exclusive to humans only).
But what about the universe, or existence, as a whole? We can at least agree that it had somehow come to reality, regardless of what we believe in. However, as truth seekers, we should ask ourselves this: was this universe created by a hidden chain of events or by intention? The most comfortable answer is the one of destiny, because of how valued the thought of it makes us feel. There is a certain psychological comfort in believing in one or more gods or any other supernatural entity, because the mere faith is often enough to feel a little more at ease.
Why? Because the mere thought decreases things such as loneliness, hopelessness, stress, and so on. After all, there is this "hand" that guides us, that helps us, and that conveys a plan for us; a plan that we don't necessarily know what it is or what it entails, but one that will make us tell ourselves in our minds that we are not lost; that we are in the "right direction".
The other answer to the previously-asked question is to present a certain chain of events that somehow led the universe into existence; chain of events which can be explained scientifically. However, such "chain of events" is yet to be fully known to humanity, as there are only theories. Should one of these theories be true, they would have to be "dumbed down" to us, the non-scientists. Regardless, we shouldn't make the common mistake of using our own ignorance as a justification to an answer we have the faith to be true.
The final option is both of them: destiny has planned us all, therefore, it created a physical chain of events that led us to existence and to the various "levels" we are in the "game" called life. Thus, since these answers can be combined, they aren't necessarily polar opposites.
As to my interpretation of the whole thing, I can only testify, at least for now, that whenever I contemplate determinism, AKA destiny, I gradually feel a lot more relaxed. That is because I have a high tendency for stress and tension even when I'm not aware of it at an exact moment. The feeling that there is some "reasoning" to the things I have experienced in my life, that led me to doing the things I do in life, and that the universe is not chaotic and absurd... it feels a lot less lonely, a lot less threatening.
Maybe there is some reasoning behind the effect of this concept on my mentality, but I won't delude myself into fully using emotion as a reliable source of information. At the same time, ultimately, another person could have the exact opposite emotional experience on the same subject. Still, the effect can still be at least seen as interesting, even if it's not a completely objective manner; an interest that could be onto something.
There is a certain character in a video game that I always felt he was my very own embodiment... a silent protagonist who, by the power of destiny, gathered many people known as The Stars of Destiny in order to defeat an imperialist nation from taking over an archipelago of independent island nations. Even before becoming an apprentice to my former master, I felt a deep connection to this character, called Lazlo or Razro.
He wasn't someone special as the hero of yet another RPG, but even in some of my dreams I had throughout life, I was him and not myself. I may not know much on said "Stars of Destiny", but I do know that he is the "Tenkai Star".. What if all of our fates are written in the stars? Metaphorically speaking, of course. What if we are defined by a certain "Star" which is responsible for our purpose, for our ultimate demise? This isn't necessarily about astrology, because people are more than just their birth dates. Why dates, if there are so many "stars" which hold the "secret" to our future?
You may find it utterly ridiculous, but there was a game that I dreamt about before it was created or released. I dreamt of being an astronaut on a dark planet, covered with a rocky terrain and a strange green mist. After a few years, a game called "No Man's Sky" was released, and had this exact planet during a video I watched of its gameplay. It wasn't just the planet itself, but the same mental memory I had from that dream, right within the video.
Technically, such coincidences can happen. Just because there is a chance of one in a million for something to occur, doesn't mean it cannot occur, whether destiny exists or not. The fact that something is rare doesn't mean it cannot happen at all without divine guidance.
Even though I did not give you a definitive answer, I at least gave you 3 options to consider regarding this subject:
* The universe is rational because of physical chain of reactions.
* The universe is rational due to divine/cosmic guidance.
* Both of the above.
The fourth option is, of course, accepting existential absurdity—the belief that nothing is truly rational. However, because it can be easily disproved, by presenting at least one thing that makes sense in this universe, I am at least certain that absurdism isn't true. That is being said regardless of the words of my former master/teacher.
Here is a special treat from me, if you wish to re-read this article again, but with music. I find it very fitting for this specific post.
