idiggory wrote:
Of course, being an atheist that doesn't believe in souls or free will kinda puts the damper on that...
:(
I believe in multiple dimensions/timelines. It's a geeky way of mixing fate and free will.
Imagine that every time something happens, be it life-altering or tiny, your timeline splits into the multiple available paths away from that moment. You move down the path you directly or indirectly choose, but in other timelines, other "you" move down the other paths. That way, your life, from you are born (or aren't born, depending on your parents' timelines), branches out into a plethora of possible endings.
One timeline might end up with you falling down a flight of stairs. One might end with you being the happy grand-father of a dozen grand-children (adopted, unless the timeline involves some interesting surgical procedure). One might end with you giving your life to save someone else.
All those timelines are destined to end in a certain way, sure, but you never know where yours will branch off to. Every time something happens, your actions, your decisions, your choices, shape your future.
Silly theory, but no more than believing in an invisible friend, right?