The determinants which determine a man’s physical and mental constitution lie outside him. These outward forces act differently on different people.
Determiners are words which are a sort of adjectives which qualify the nouns. If a man is substituted with a noun, we can look for the things which determine his perspectives, and specify his reach beyond which he cannot transgress, whatever his dreams or wishes. Every object comes into existence with its own determinants. In a way, we can say man is badly circumscribed. Freedom and free will, look best when discussed in academic discussions. But, the fact is that man is the visible part of an iceberg which remains hidden from the view. And the mass that is hidden from the view pulls the visible parts which mystifies us. It is this invisible mass which acts as a great determinant for the iceberg of life.
Destiny: The Greatest Determinant
In fact, there are thousands of factors which determine our day to day working. There are a thousand things which we want to do, yet, who stops us from doing those things? Who does not want to be happy? Who does not want to be a millionaire? And who does not try to transcend his miserable conditions and be happy? How many succeed and how many fail? What comes between man and his dreams is his destiny. And this destiny is the greatest and most powerful determinant in the life of every person.
![free-will](https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/free-will.jpg)
It is a very great paradox: how man, who considers himself the master of his destiny, is, in reality, a slave to external forces, which are responsible for the way he is.
How we can find out what our destiny is? There are no easy answers. If you go to oracles, they will further mystify you. It is just like trying to know what lies ahead. To an extent this fore-knowledge is a good facilitator, but if you take it farther, if you know what is going to happen to your plans, and what may happen tomorrow, and the most sought after is the pre-knowledge how long shall we live… if all these answers are available to us, they will be the greatest stumbling block in our journey. If we gain such knowledge, it will be devastating. Therefore, this lack of knowledge is a great determinant for us. We do not know what will happen the next moment.
Ignorant Armies
We do not know what is in store for us. As the day progresses, the things that are lying in store are unbundling themselves by and by. By the evening, we come to know, what the day held in store for us. The question arises: where have ‘our efforts’ gone? We were pursuing things in a particular pattern, yet what has finally happened is entirely different. If not we ourselves, who is writing this narrative? Who is determining the course of events? There is definitely some determinant force, which does not let you move in a particular direction, and gives you the green signal for another direction. The wise know we are neither independent, not free. And how much is the might of an ant-hill? Humanity is no more than an ant-hill for gods. And we are busy in breeding and feeding. Gods have blessed mankind with a higher vision, but not all can attain to that position, because, we are bogged down by a hundred limitations. And the greatest limitation of mankind is that man does not want to transcend his existential condition. The local training enables him for just survival and procreation. Rest of the time, they are told to live in fear of gods, rather than doing any good to the society they are a part of, or even to themselves.
The Control Unit
Whenever I look at a person going in front of me, I start wondering how much he is responsible for the way he is. Does he have any control over his body? And even, does he have his control over his mind? It may be possible to control your mind with force, but it is not possible to control your body. You have to accept as your own, the face that comes to you from the unknown. Then, how this body develops is the handi-work of the elements. How a man is shaped up, and how he thinks, how he feels, and how he acts – in all these things, a man has no say. He may assert this is his body, this is his face, these are his legs – One needs to ask him: did he make any of these things that he is laying claim to them?
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The Paradox
It is a very great paradox: how man, who considers himself the master of his destiny, is, in reality, a slave to external forces, which are responsible for the way he is. Before the family comes to shape his character, or the society exerts its pressure, he is already under the spell of the invisible forces, which are working nonstop to create him. It is these invisible hands which architect him, and even supply him with a mind, and a frame of thoughts, a reservoir of reflexes, and then he is put into a sack, whose shape too is left to the elements. Not even at one point, nor even for once, he is asked about any choice that he might have, about the colour of his skin, his parents, the city, the country, the colour of his hair, and his stature, and even, his gender.
The Lengthening Illusion
As man grows up, he falls a victim to the illusion that he is the master of his body, his mind, and his home. He lords over his family, his children and his wife, and even on the poor sections who are at work in his industry. All this pride and arrogance is misplaced, because, in the final analysis, nothing belongs to him. This body, which he claims his proud possession, belongs to elements and will be called back after some time. Essentially, man is in a very miserable and helpless position. He claims he is the master, but fact is that all these claims are too tall. The facts show that he owns nothing. Rather, he is not only possessed but haunted by the elements.
Playing on a Foreign Pitch
Man is made to play on a foreign pitch, and yet forced to say that it is ‘his’ choice. And that ‘he’ is fighting with his own will, and it is ‘he’ who will win, or lose. Nobody can see the invisible hands governing his movements. Like stars, winds, and waters, he too is a part of the game, and has no will of his own. The battles that he fights are the battles of the Almighty. He has been granted the right to call it his own, and fight with full might.
![513577EA-2898-4B57-A7257F174208B3EE_source Scientific American](https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/513577EA-2898-4B57-A7257F174208B3EE_source-Scientific-American.webp)
Image courtesy: Scientific American
As man grows up, he falls a victim to the illusion that he is the master of his body, his mind, and his home.
The determinants which determine a man’s physical and mental constitution lie outside him. These outward forces act differently on different people. Individual mind has a personal realm where it can feel independent, as we feel happy when we draw a boundary wall, and think that this piece of earth belongs to us. We leave behind all the papers, when death calls upon us. It is an illusory show, restricted by the will of gods, and man’s will is subservient to the divine will.
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Pubished under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"
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