On one hand, our path through life seems secure. Every decision slowly but surely leading us inextricably to our current state. Major life events were meant to be. Goals are either met or were never suppose to be so that room could be created for other, different goals.
On the other hand, we are buffeted about by the winds of chance. Why did I meet this person at this time in my life? Why was I born at this place and this time and, as such, fell under these influences? I could have been almost everyone had the wings of butterfly just been beating at a slightly different frequency.
Although seductive in their reductionism, I imagine both of these extremal solutions are not quite right. Or perhaps I should say there are both perfectly correct. We don't have an infinite number of pathways available to us, but neither are we predestined to be on the path we are on. But it's just not satisfying to say, "Of the narrow cluster of life paths available to me, I am simply on the most probably given my circumstances." Where's the fun in that?
I'm thinking in terms of a psychological analogy to Feynman Path Integrals:
Where there is some kind of macroscopic Planck's constant that bounds the possible likely paths of your life.
This makes me think of the movie SLIDING DOORS.
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