A great question! I majored in chemistry and later taught science and computer science courses in both high school and college. I have always considered myself a methodical, logical scientific thinker. Therefore, I should be answering that OF COURSE, chance or coincidence would explain everything that happens to us. How on earth could it possibly be fate? But for many years, I have been increasingly suspicious that everything in my life IS in fact controlled by fate. That conclusion seems to make no sense, so how could it be true?
We like to think that we are making our own decisions after careful consideration, but what if we do not have as much freedom as we believe? One of my sons seems to be almost a clone of my brother. They like the same things, eat the same foods, and even have handwriting that is so similar that I have to look to see who has written it. On the phone, they have the same voice and speech patterns. What makes it even more remarkable is that they have seen each other just a very few times and speak to each other very infrequently, so it could not have simply “rubbed off” on my son.
The more I learn about things that my blood relatives have liked, decisions that they have made, directions their lives have taken, I am increasingly wondering if so much of our personalities, our preferences, and the decisions we make as a result are actually determined by our DNA.
We have a fairly new Colonnades resident who is a retired cognitive psychologist. I bet you can guess what I am going to ask him the next time I see him!
Live & Learn! 