Are Things Really Happening Our Way?

There are two kinds of people in this world.

One says, “Life is pre-programmed. I am just a character in a very well-written script.”

The other says, “I am the writer, director, and lead actor. Watch me.”

And then there is the rest of us — switching between both philosophies depending on how the weekend went.

Amongst ourselves, many believe life is already coded somewhere in the cosmic backend. We just log in and move through scenes. Others strongly believe they design their own destiny — goal sheets, vision boards, productivity apps and all.

In this entire process, we are happy at times, disappointed often, occasionally thrilled, sometimes completely confused. Some feel in control. Some feel controlled. Some feel neither — just tired.

But here’s the real question:

If you are genuinely concerned about how your life is going, have you ever paused to observe what is actually happening?

How many things unfolded exactly the way you expected? How many things arrived without invitation? How many were blessings in disguise? How many were disasters wearing the same disguise?

And do these depend on who you are… or are they pre-written chapters you are just flipping through?

That’s where the timeless tug-of-war enters — Fortune vs Free Will.

The Weekend Experiment

Let’s bring it down to something relatable.

You’ve had a hectic week. Deadlines, calls, emails, responsibilities. By Thursday evening, you declare:

“This weekend is mine.”

You design it beautifully — an early morning walk, a much-awaited movie, dinner at your favorite place.

Perfect.

Saturday arrives.

You wake up excited for the walk. Fresh air. New beginnings. Ten minutes later, the sun rises with an intensity that feels personal. Excitement becomes exhaustion. Slight discomfort. Maybe even irritation.

Fine. That was just the morning.

You book tickets for the most awaited movie. The theatre is buzzing. The crowd is electric. Halfway through the film, the celebrations, commentary, claps, whistles — everything is louder than the dialogue.

You walk out thinking, “I waited months for this?”

Dinner will fix it.

You go to your favorite place. Your favorite dish? Not available. You adjust. Order something else. It’s delayed. Hunger turns into impatience. You return home with that same subtle unhappy face.

Weekend over. Monday approaching.

Now tell me — do you blame Fortune?

“My life is like this only.” “Even small happiness doesn’t stay.” “Why does this always happen to me?”

We’ve all said it. Or at least thought it.

Now… Rise 100 Feet Above

Pause.

Look at the same weekend from 100 feet above.

If not this, what else would it have been? Work emails? Pending reports? Scrolling mindlessly? Replaying the week?

Your free will made one important decision — you chose not to work.

You chose movement over stagnation. Experience over routine. Attempt over avoidance.

Even if it didn’t go perfectly, it was different.

Is that not something?

Now Rise Another 100 Feet

Zoom out further.

Replace weekend with years.

Education choices. Career paths. Relationships. Financial decisions.

How many of those were carefully planned? How many unfolded through circumstances? How many opportunities were not even on your radar?

You may have chosen a degree out of interest. But the college seat depended on scores. The job depended on market conditions. The relationship depended on timing. The financial growth depended on external economies.

Was it Fortune? Was it Free Will? Or was it a silent collaboration between the two?

The Guilt That Visits Us

What complicates this debate is guilt.

“Maybe I should have worked harder.” “Maybe I chose wrong.” “Maybe I accepted too easily.” “Maybe I should have resisted.”

Guilt has a strange habit — it looks back with sympathy and tries to convince the past to change.

But from a higher altitude, guilt often appears like a small cloud — dramatic when you’re inside it, insignificant when viewed from afar.

Short-Term Free Will vs Long-Term Fulfilment

Here’s another twist.

Does short-term free will truly satisfy us?

“I don’t feel like waking up.” “I deserve to skip this.” “I’ll decide later.”

In the moment, it feels powerful. In the long term, it may feel empty.

And what about acceptance?

When something doesn’t go your way, you accept it. Is that surrender? Is that weakness? Or is that wisdom?

Sometimes acceptance feels like defeat in the moment. Years later, it reveals itself as protection.

Was acceptance the backfire? Or was it the savior quietly redirecting you?

The Broader Perspective

The higher you rise in perspective, the smaller individual disappointments look.

At ground level: “My weekend was ruined.” At 100 feet: “At least I stepped out.” At 1,000 feet: “It was one of 52 weekends this year.” At 10,000 feet: “It was one small experience in a lifetime filled with thousands.” At an even greater height: “It shaped my patience, expectations, and understanding — in ways I didn’t notice then.”

Fortune provides the terrain. Free Will chooses how to walk on it.

Sometimes the road is smooth. Sometimes it bends without warning. But the way you respond — that’s always partially yours.

So… Can the Future Happen Our Way?

Perhaps the real answer is not choosing one side.

It is not Fortune versus Free Will.

It is Fortune facilitating circumstances, and Free Will executing within them.

You may not choose the weather. But you choose whether to carry an umbrella. You may not choose the crowd. But you choose how much it disturbs you. You may not choose every outcome. But you can choose the awareness with which you experience it.

And awareness changes everything.

Because with awareness and consciousness, the execution of free will becomes sharper, calmer, and more aligned. It may not take us exactly to the future we once planned in detail — but from a higher and broader perspective, it can certainly take us closer to the future we truly expected for ourselves.

Closer — not necessarily identical.

And that difference matters.

Without awareness, we either blame Fortune and settle into a life of passive acceptance… or we misuse Free Will impulsively and end up wandering into a kind of no man’s land — neither fulfilled nor at peace.

But when consciousness guides execution, Free Will stops reacting and starts responding.

With keen observation and absolute consciousness, is it possible that the future can happen “our way”?

Maybe not exactly as planned.

But closer to our real nature. Closer to who we truly are beneath reactions, guilt, excitement, and disappointment.

The balance is subtle.

Fortune sets the stage. Free Will plays the role. Consciousness directs the performance.

And perhaps the real power lies not in controlling life… but in understanding the dance between what is given and what is chosen.

That understanding itself may be the only thing that truly happens our way.

And in the end…

Maybe it all depends on the ‘F’ words we encounter and play with —

Fortune. Free Will. Fate. Fulfilment. Future.

Dirty mind…!! 😉