"life" is a matter of 'choice or chance'?

Philippines
August 24, 2011 10:02am CST
Life is a matter of choice or chance? This simple statement always struggling in my mind.. if you said life is a matter of choice because you have an options as an reference in decision making. Just like for example, in selecting the one which is the best, you need to choose among them. In other hand, sometimes you can say that a life is a matter of chance because in every problem there is a way into solution and that way is always waiting for the chances that might overcome of that problem. If you are the one to evaluate that simple statement, which will you prefer?
1 person likes this
13 responses
@grahzie (42)
• United Arab Emirates
24 Aug 11
Life is a matter of choice and chance. By chance because there's so called " everything happens for a reason" and that thing will teach us and learn from it. By choice because we have "decission making" , we make our choices and we direct what we want. Life is beautiful, it's full of surprizes and challenges. Wether it's by choice or chance, what important is we live it to the fullest.
• Philippines
25 Aug 11
thanks grahzie, Life is a matter of choice and chance. Life has a full of surprises and challenges and what important is we live into the fullest. But can you consider the things now that happened in your life, can you tell that this is choice and chance?
• United Arab Emirates
25 Aug 11
yes! the things that is happening in my life is a combination of choice and chance. when i was born its a chance for me to see and live in this world, when i went to primary and secondary school its my parents choice and its my chance to study, when i enter college its my choice to choose the course i want, when i fell in love its my choice to choose who i want and who i love.. those are just example why for me life is a matter of chance and choice.
@Dominique25 (9464)
• United States
24 Aug 11
I would say it's a matter of choice. We make the decisions in our life. The consequences good or bad. Others make decisions and we can be affected by them. So I always feel that it's a matter of choice. Things can happen to us that we weren't expecting but that is because of the decisions others are making.
• Philippines
25 Aug 11
thanks domique25: whatever we choose, the outcome of both is either good or bad. You might right that a life is a matter of choice and not a chance.
• United States
25 Aug 11
A difficult question to answer, probably becoming philosophical quickly. By and large, however, I maintain that life is chance more than choice. I have a specific train of thought behind my answer. People can develop a sense of pride concerning their accomplishments in life, feeling that what they have is a reward for right-living or rightwise decision making. However, if you think back on it, there is nothing you have earned as momentous and weighty as what you were given by chance. Choice or circumstance? I have a perfectly adequately functioning body. My mind, my body, my overall mental and physical health are right in the median distribution. But, my mind and body at a basic level are determined by genetic factors over which I have no control. Had my chromosomes divided one way instead of another, I might as well be.. right now.. an invalid in a hospital bed drooling on myself. There is no choice I have ever made that seems more important than what I was given at the start of life. Nature or nurture? While we might debate nature (genetic predisposition) vs. nurture (upbringing), the fundamental matter doesn't change much. Much like my genetics, my family is randomly assigned. I did not get the particular parents I wound up with because I was more loved by the omnipotent Creator than someone else (or, conversely, less loved.) I believe that people have a fundamental nature that reacts to the circumstances in which they find themselves. Some people have a selfish nature, some people an adventurous nature, some people an empathic nature, etc... how they progress in life depends on the unfolding of their nature with respect to the circumstances in which they find themselves. People seldom change, but when they do it may just be within their nature to reflect and change given their circumstances. Someone with a responsible far-seeing nature and a narcissistic nature might stop at one point in their life when they have a wake-up call or watershed event and reflect on how their life is likely to wind up if they don't deal with or diminish their self-serving nature. They may choose to be a different person and might even feel proud of their decision. But the only thing which may really distinguish them from their approach to life and the life-long narcissist may be their nature as someone who is narcissistic and ALSO far-sighted to decide to work to change that before they chased away any true friends they might hope to have. In my own life, I have made decisions based on my nature and experiences as situations arose. What I cannot know is how much responsibility I have for those decisions. Have I, somehow, pleased my Creator by making the choices that I have made? Or, perhaps conversely, have I done less to improve my basic nature than others whom I might feel proud enough to look down upon? I believe a humble perspective where I do not indulge in excess pride is probably most prudent. It allows me to look at those with less than I possess without judgement. I cannot know their nature or their circumstances and therefore cannot know if I would have done better in their shoes. I might FEEL that I would have made different or better choices given their circumstances, but that would presume I possess then nature and aptitudes which I consider mine. I cannot know if I would have done any better in their circumstances with their nature. I think this helps bring people together where as to think otherwise seems to indulge in vanity and drives people apart into "Better" or "Lesser."
@pickwick (858)
• India
25 Aug 11
Hi Akogamhanan !It is there in the Indian scriptures that we select even our parents and situations before we are born.You are born here to achieve the state of perfection.We decide the circumstances and even our parents which will serve us achieve this purpose.Not only before birth , even after we are born , its our thoughts and feelings which makes our circumstances.This is called law of attraction which is a well known secret today.If you desire something send love , positive thoughts to such things and it will be yours.If you have a feeling of fear you attract more fear in your life.So everything is a matter of your choice.
@stanley777 (9402)
• Philippines
25 Aug 11
For me they are both.It's your choice what life you want to have and if it didn't turn to what you have expected then you can do something about it.If you are not comfortable to what you have chosen your life to be you still have the chances to make it right.
@enahs88 (12)
• Philippines
25 Aug 11
for me life is a CHANCE that is given to us by our GREAT CREATOR. We should take care of this and live it to the fullest. It is a matter of CHANCE since everything in this world are all temporary, we are very privilege enough to have and experience all these things, may it be bad/good experiences.. Time will come that all these things will be taken away from us, and if you don't want to die asking yourselves "what if?" and saying to yourselves "if only".. then I guess it's time for you to value life as a chance that you are so lucky to have even if you never actually ask for it..
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
25 Aug 11
Life is a serious of choices and your choices will affect what life you are going to have. If you made wrong choices surely you are heading for trouble but if you make right choices you can expect better life ahead of you. Chance? Well life is a chance for you to make right choices but if you failed to do so, then you missed the chance.
@karagala (447)
• Philippines
24 Aug 11
For me life is a matter of chance because in the future there is many chances if you grab a chance that can make your life better...then your life become abundant but if got a mistake! all i can say is good luck...
@vycess (1588)
• Saudi Arabia
24 Aug 11
It is both. We are waiting for a chance and that chance need a choice of our action. But if you will only ask one, i will prefer choice.
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
25 Aug 11
For me, life is a matter of choice. If you are poor, do things that could uplift you from the sad state. Look for persons or associations that could help you get an education. And when you have it study well until you can achieve your dream . If you are rich, yet you parents are separated don't be downtrodden by it. Be happy if at least you have one of them. Make the most of it.
@jricky1 (6800)
• China
25 Aug 11
Life is such great and we would meet lots of changes and chances in our whole life,so,grab the opportunity is really important for us.God is equal for everyone,therefore,it is important for you to seize the great chances so as to change.They are closely connected.Good luck to everybody.
@Olleenz (3398)
• Indonesia
24 Aug 11
Good question. I think we need both them. Chance need choice to make it happen and choice couldn't exist without any chance.
25 Aug 11
hi:) I think life is a matter of choice,If you choose to be like this, like that or those, its your choice. I do believe that when u want something to achieve, to get, to pursue, don't waste your time even if you're still young at age. If we can do it now then don't wait for tomorrow,planning our life do not depend on others hand, it's depend on us.