Are we meant for certain things, or do we choose what we are meant for? This is a question that's always been on the back of my mind whenever I take a second to analyze my life. I took some time over the past few days to ask my friends what they thought of this. They both plainly said, "both."

Both? How does that work? Are we meant for certain things but we choose a different path for others? I'm more so trying to wrap my head around their reasoning for this. They were meant to meet some friends, but rather they chose certain things in their lives. Why is it that destiny is written for something, but not for something else, wouldn't in a way destiny be written for everything? Or on the opposite end, that we chose where we want to go?

I feel like saying that "both" is an answer of comfort, it gives people, it gives us the best of both of these philosophies. We are meant to do certain things, meant to meet certain people and we still choose other things in our own lives. Whether they are minor or major things in our lives, we still have that idea, the thought that we as human beings are meant for something, that we are supposed to be with certain people.

A popular phrase that is thrown around is, "If it's meant to happen, it'll happen." We can't control anything beyond our lives. What we can control is how we respond to people, events, or simply life in general. I can choose at this moment how I can write this article or write it at all in the first place. But am I meant to be doing it this way? Was part of my ultimate purpose in life to do something like this? Or am I choosing these things?

Wouldn't we by extension influence our fate through our choices? One of my friends told me that they thought they were meant to meet someone, but they chose certain things like where to go to school and what to major in. But she only met this person because of those choices. So is it both? Was she fated to make those choices then, if it was her fate to meet someone new in her life?

Honestly, I have no idea what the "right" answer to these questions is. Regardless of choices, she still could have found a way to meet her friend. if it's truly fate, where do choices stop being choices and become fate? And when do we our choices lead us to fate? Could I tomorrow, make a choice which changes where I'm supposed to go in life? As extreme of an example as this, tomorrow someone could step into traffic, get terribly injured or even die. Or they could not do such a thing and live their entire life perfectly fine. What's meant to happen or choose where we go?

I'm likely at this point, starting to parrot my words. But it's because I have no idea what the right answers if any are in this case exist or whether they exist at all. Whatever our greater purpose is in life, something that we chose or something that we are destined for is unknown. But in a way, if at all, that's one of the greater more fascinating things about life. We don't have the answers, we simply need to make that for ourselves.