Free Will or Fate?

Life seems way too random to believe that some higher being has control over every "decision" we make. However, there are also a great number of coincidences that could prove this statement wrong. In reality, no matter how much we argue, we will never know the answer. Therefore, I, personally, don't believe in one or the other. For example, if I was walking down the sidewalk, and decided to casually step in front of a speeding car, the incident would appear random on the surface. However, if my fate was to die at age 16 via speeding car, then the incident would not seem so meaningless. And yet another way to look at it, would be to see the driver's point of view. Maybe the driver feels responsible, and starts a national anti-speeding campaign, which influences people everywhere to slow down. It doesn't matter which way you look at it, because what happened is over and done with. What's the point in arguing about a question that can't be answered?

Would You Rather...

I think that i would rather live a long and average life. when i first saw the question, i automatically thought that i would rather want to live the fast paced rockstar lifestyle, like most teenagers would probably want. however, after i thought about it for a while, i think that i would much rather be well known among a small group of people. i wouldn't want to only associate with people who simply stuck around because i was famous.

Remember When...

When I was a little kid, I had this strange obsession with spiderman. I'm not sure why i latched on to him the way that i did. I guess I really liked the idea of shooting webs and swinging through a massive city. I remember liking how many problems he had. It always seemed like he was rushing to get somewhere that could result in sudden death. This trait is what set him apart from all of the other superheros. I also remember really liking the villains. They seemed the most creative compared to all the other super villains. I mean, a mad scientist with four mechanical arms that take over his brain is pretty imaginative.

The Western World

When reading Siddhartha, it seemed like the author wanted the reader to create their own own interpretation of what the story meant. It encouraged the reader to go out and find themselves as opposed to letting someone tell you who you are. This could be the reason why it's hard for westerners to comprehend the philosophy behind the allegory. Westerners are so used to their parents, teachers, etc. telling them who they should be, and how to be successful in life, which is almost the exact opposite of what Siddhartha was trying to get across.