My friend and I were sitting in a peaceful spot, the kind of place where even time seems to slow down. A soft breeze, warm cups in our hands, and enough silence to finally let the mind breathe. It was the perfect setting for a calm conversation… or a confusing one. And of course, my friend chose “confusing.”
He grinned and asked, “Tell me something. If everything in life is already written, then why are we doing anything? Why work, why plan, why wake up early? If destiny controls all, should I just sleep till noon?”
The question was half joking, half serious, and fully capable of giving anyone a headache.
I laughed and said, “Destiny isn’t forcing you to sleep or wake up. It gives you the situation. Your reaction is still yours. Destiny sets the stage. You decide how you act on it.”
My friend leaned in. “Oh really? If it’s raining, maybe I’m destined to dance. Maybe God wants me to meet my first love there.” He gave me that mischievous smile, like he was already imagining a movie scene.
I shook my head. “Listen genius, the rain coming is destiny. Dancing in it is your free will. Meeting someone because you danced… that becomes your destiny later. See how both mix?”
He blinked. “So my terrible dancing also becomes destiny later?”
“Yes,” I said. “And trust me, God doesn’t choreograph your steps.”
He burst out laughing.
To help him understand better, I said, “Think of destiny as the food placed in front of you. Your free will decides what you eat. And what you eat becomes your destiny later. If you eat healthy, you stay fit. If you eat junk, you fall sick.”
He nodded. “Okay… that makes sense.”
“Good,” I said. “Now let’s go deeper. Suppose destiny gives you illness. It happens. You didn’t ask for it. But now your free will gets activated. You can choose to cry, blame God, blame people… or you can accept it, take your medicines, change habits, and recover. Your response becomes the next part of your destiny.”
He paused, thinking seriously for once.
I continued, “Same thing at work. Let’s say destiny puts you in a situation where you have to remove someone from the team. Maybe the company situation forced it. That part is destiny. But how you do it with anger, stress, or with calmness and respect that part is your free will. And that behaviour becomes your future destiny. It affects relationships, reputation, and the kind of person you become.”
He nodded slowly. “So free will becomes destiny once I act.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Destiny gives the situation. Free will gives the response. And the response becomes destiny for the next chapter.”
My friend leaned back. “So I’m basically co-writing my destiny with life?”
“Yes,” I said. “Destiny writes the chapter titles. You write the story inside.”
He suddenly laughed. “So I’ve been blaming destiny for things my free will ruined?”
I smiled. “Welcome to adulthood.”
He thought about it for a moment. “So destiny gives the card. Free will plays it.”
“Exactly. And after you play it, people call it destiny because it becomes part of your story.”
He sighed dramatically. “So destiny isn’t controlling me… I’m working with destiny.”
“Now you’re getting it,” I said.
He smiled, softer this time. “Feels peaceful… like I finally stopped fighting life.”
I nodded. “That’s the whole point. Stop fighting destiny. Start using free will.”
He chuckled again. “So God gave me the steering wheel… and I kept asking Him to drive.”
I laughed. “Yes. Destiny gives the road. You decide how you walk on it.”
He stood up, pretending to receive an award. “Thank you. I’d like to thank destiny for bringing me here… and my free will for not running away from your lecture.”
We both laughed.
As we started walking, he looked at me with a quiet smile and said, “You know what? Destiny wrote our meeting today. But my free will decided to listen. And that’s why I’m going home smarter.”
I laughed. “Perfect ending.”
He nodded proudly. “See? Even my ending has free will.”
Destiny sets the scene. Free will writes the story. Together, they create your life.
How to find the different between Free Will and Destiny. try Vipassana.
