Do you believe in fatalism or free will?
 

I would like to call myself a fatalist because for me it is a lot easier to live my life being a fatalist than to believe in free will but I think the majority thinks the opposite. I've been let down too many times to think it was my own failure or someone else's free will. Now I believe in fate or destiny. It is so much simpler to let go of your need to control and just be lazy or happy. After all, you can still workout and do the things you like and not become ultra lazy by being a fatalist. For me I am a very anxious and nervous or timid person and I observe too much and overanalyze. That's why I simply prefer fatalism because it eases my mind. It is like alcohol for my mind it calms me down. It is a peaceful feeling to believe in fatalism. Back in the day I would prefer free will but at this point I kinda dislike it.

After all there is only one best option and the other options are worse. So free will is the choice to choose a worse option than the best one. If you had great vision you would always choose the best option but you can't because your eyes and being are not perfect. If you could choose between chocolate and fried eggs in the morning you would choose fried eggs because they are healthy but you could also choose chocolate because sometimes in the morning you desire chocolate more than any other food. In my opinion this is fatalism and not free will and I simply dislike free will. I understand neither free will nor fatalism can ever be proven so I don't know the truth. But what I like about fatalism is that it doesn't force you to do anything. It doesn't force you to struggle or learn or change yourself, it just accepts what is and that for me is peace.

This compatibilism or determinism I have never understood. For me there is either free will or full fatalism. There can be nothing in between. Maybe a restricted free will okay, but why call this compatibilism or determinism. It makes no sense to me. Fatalism is the belief in fate or destiny and that you can't change anything and what you will do, you will do. And if you change yourself for the better or worse, that it wasn't a choice or free will, it was meant to happen. Free will is the belief in magic. What is your choice?

I think it's more like a plinko machine. No free will, or determinism.

https://i.imgur.com/TndlPUf.gif

I agree with you. But didn't you know that a plinko machine isn't random? I'm not an expert on this but I KNOW that you CAN NOT program a system of randomness. All programs and programming is bound by a system of laws, the binary system so we could say it is NOT random even though it looks like it is. Life is the same! Very good observation of yours.

I opened up a game magazine at a newsstand because my friend missed the bus, found out about EQ, and here I am:

https://i.imgur.com/j2TGDdx.gif

I suppose but maybe the universe isn't as complex as a punch card computer system?

I am 28 years old right now so I'm not a wise person. I've read some books for my lifetime more than average even though I didn't understand everything. I'm also a gamer so I suck at life. Gaming has always been my safe harbor. Somewhere I can relax and have a release valve. I've also been quite lonely in my life but I like it this way. Currently I only have 1 desire in my life but I feel like it can't be achieved. Fatalism gives me freedom from anxiety and worries. It makes me feel calm and secure.

That's why I don't like the idea of free will anymore. It seems like magic. But if fatalism is true it means that all who do not believe in it were fated to believe in free will. That's the beauty of fatalism. It is the only philosophy that practically says nothing. It doesn't force you to believe in anything and it doesn't try to change you. You can be a fatalist and a great helper of humanity! You can be a fatalist and a terrorist! You can be a fatalist and it doesn't show others your character. It is the true neutral and I think life itself also does not care if one tree or one animal dies. It is truly neutral.

Devs has a really cool take on your question Op!

I also really liked Season 3 of Westworld, which kind of is about that too.

I often wonder had my friend never missed the bus if I would never play EQ? But Im confident I would have gotten back onto the correct timeline anyway through some outer outlet.

IDK op. But I err on the side of, if it can happen it will happen and that means everything will or wont happen and there is no organization behind the chaos.

But then again if I think my will would have gotten me hooked on EQ through some other outlet (my will to want to play CRPG fantasy) then I guess that means I think free will.

But the plinko machine happened to get my genetic composition to form in a position for that to happen in the first place!

What is chaos theory in jurrasic park anyway, I never really understood it :p Where do I land on the scale, I can't decide for myself.

I like something about fatalism but sorry I don't like this generic horror trailer with those sound effects. Not my cup of tea. Or do you think I should watch that movie? I don't like that horror trailer and I don't like horror movies. They are scary! :D

Yes, but:

- Is a bad recipe for personal growth, aka none. Growth requires the acknowledgement of failure

If I had to pick between using some mental existentialism trick to remove all negative feelings of an outcome

Or acknowledging those negative feelings and using them to create an opportunity for learning and personal growth, I would choose the latter every time


- Negative feelings are not inherently bad or evil. They serve an evolutionary purpose to steer us away from outcomes that are bad for us. Or another way to look at it is that they are steering us towards outcomes that are good for us

Sorry I can’t say it more succinctly or go into more detail atm, at work and didn’t get a lot of sleep last nite lol

To put it in EQ terms, I think life is like everquest.

You /random on COF's all the time, but never win one. Then some dude shows up after playing for 3 months and wins one and next thing you know he's like BIS in your guild, but is also a total retard.

You say, "I have bad luck on randoms" and someone who also has bad luck on randoms is like, "It's not luck, here's the study that proves it."

And I grit my teeth and nod.

What if I told you I can believe in fatalism fully a 100% and still go out running in the morning and working out at home. That's what I did since 1st March and I'll try continue to do it. In fact, belief in fatalism makes me calm and I always loved feeling calm because I am timid and nervous. If at all this fatalism makes me stronger! Fatalism does appear to make you pessimistic and lazy but the longer you believe in it, the less effect it has on you other than making you calm and dispassionate. And trust me, being dispassionate is much better than being passionate, because Satan is passionate and God is dispassionate.