Dialectics: Fate and Free Will

Fate and free will provide two contrasting perspectives on the future of an individual.  Fate supposes that humans' destinies are predetermined, and that their future is out of our hands.  Free will claims that humans have the power to control their destiny.  However, we can fomulate two ideas on the destiny of humans through these ideas.

An individual's destiny is determined by gods or some higher being to an extent- however, humans have the ability to defeat the intentions that the gods have for them.  All humans have the choice and ability to thwart their presupposed destiny, but it is up to them to determine their threshold for how willing they are to get what they want.  This Greek idea is clearly illustrated in the story Oedipus, when the main character is able to triumph over the gods and return home from the battle of Troy to his home.  This concept is a synthesis of the fate and free will, stating that humans are suspect to each. 

An individual is suspect to whatever concept they believe holds true.  Unable to prove either concept, an individual's destiny can be predetermined by the fate of a god, or other powerful being.  A parellel to this concept would be pain killers.  There are two effects that has advil has on your body,  phsyical and phsycological.  The physical part, obviously is treating the pain you have whereever you may feel pain.  The phsycological aspect can be explained through the summary of a passage in Harry Potter.  On the day of the big quidditch match between Slytherin and Griffendor, Harry tells Ron that he is slipping a lucky potion into Ron's beverage before the game.   Under the impression that the is drugged to do well, Ron plays a great match and wins the game.  After the game though, Ron is notified that he was never given any lucky potion.  So, if one believes that he has the power to defeat the plans of the gods, then he can posess the power to change his destiny.  Likewise, if one believes that his destiny is predetermined, then he will not do anything to change his destiny, and therefore suspect to his own beliefs.

Change of Mind: Women

Prior to reading Jane Eyre, I viewed women through a very primitive, ignorant lens.  Portrayal of women as helpless, dull, and weak in movies, books, etc. were main reasons why.  I do not have a strong, feminist woman in my life either.  My mother is a stay at home mom and does not assert herself over my father often.  These conditions lead to the development of my mindset before Jane Eyre. 

Going into the new book, I thought to myself that it would be a waste of time.  However, only six chapters through the book, and my perspective has already undergone a noticeable shift.  The first thing I noticed in Jane Eyre was simply the amazing writing of Charlotte Bronte; her ability to describe a situation with such color and flare, in such a dark story is uncanny.  Also, seeing women portrayed in many different ways in Jane Eyre has shown me that there is not one "type" of women.  There are still stay at home mothers; however, there are also strong, independent women. 

This change of mind is significant because now that I have a genuine respect for women, I can gain a greater knowledge from their opinions.  The completely unique perspective that they have can help me develop a full perspective on a variety of issues.