The Observer, January 28, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 15
SideTrax: Sidetrax
I would like to pose a question that has been asked since, well, the beginning of the concept of time. If the future could be predicted, would people act differently? What would it be like to have a crystal ball that would elucidate our lives and the consequences of our actions before the actions ever occurred? Would individuals then choose different actions accordingly and choose the actions which proved the best outcome according to that crystal ball?
This brings on two different arguments. First, we must consider if the future is fatalistic. If the future is fatalistic, then knowing the future would be in "the plans" and therefore anything else that occurs as a result of this knowledge would also be in "the plans." If such were the case, then it would not matter if we saw the crystal ball or not.
Let us assume for a minute that the future is not fatalistic and we can in fact change the things that occur to us. Let us also assume that in our false reality everyone has access to a crystal ball that could predict the future. (While we're at it, let's assume these crystal balls are indestructible, 99 percent accurate, and not made by the ACME Company.) So, in this world we have just created (no, there cannot be coyotes chasing roadrunners), one could find out the consequences of several courses of actions. Would individuals chose to utilize this tool, or would they still proceed with their actions as they had originally planned regardless?
I argue that people would act without regard to what the future holds. The very fiber of our individuality is the idea that we act as our minds lead us to believe we should act. The reason that people attempt impossible feats even when the odds are against them is the hope that there is that chance that the odds may be wrong. In a similar fashion, should we be allowed to view the future and it was shown to be a negative outcome, it would only compel us more to fulfill our desires and follow our initially intended course of action in order to prove the future wrong.
In a way, I believe we do have the ability to predict the future. We all have a general idea of what consequences our actions produce. We all know that if we sleep through chemistry and do not take the final, we cannot expect to fare well in the class. On a more life significant scale, we know intuitively when we are dating a person with whom we do not belong or if we are pursuing a career where we do not belong, even if it is an idea that is not quite at the surface yet. However, we continue on regardless of this knowledge with our intended course of action. We make the little voice in our heads to be quiet and continue doing what our conscience still believes is right and will prove the voice wrong. Sometimes we are right. More often we are wrong.
Regardless, despite the ill that can occur with our actions, we are better off as human beings for pursuing the actions we do. We are not dumb for not listening to the "crystal ball." The desire to take the risk fosters a sense of hope, and sometimes this hope is rewarded. Without the chance for this reward, humans would have no reason to believe in such hope. Consequences that occur due to our actions are just that – consequences. From these consequences, we obtain a greater knowledge of what works and what does not, and this in turn helps us to grow. Should we never be able to experience what bad could occur, we would not be able to fully appreciate the good. Therefore, regardless of a crystal ball or fatalism, we'd still create our own fates.
