I've never liked the idea of fate, but then again that's no reason to discount it. I may not be comfortable with it, but I won't deny the possibility on that basis alone.
I don't think the meaning of my existence or anyone else's is ultimately knowable. Are we random strings of amino acids that happen to form thinking, feling lifeforms? Are we the image of God? Something in between?
The thing about suggesting a 'greater good' is that it begs the question of what exactly is 'good'. The problem is that it's mostly cultural and what you consider good or evil depends on your upbringing. Most of Freud's work is a load of old tosh, but he's got conscience pegged, in that a lot of it has to do with what your parents approve of. There are parts of the world where cannibalism is still considered acceptable and opinions vary greatly on the merits of euthanasia. Much of the islamic world stil believes in the concept of an eye for an eye, but the western world seems to have rejected this concept, at least in it's most literal interpretation.
So who in all of that is right? What is the greater good and how can we rely on our moral compass when everyone's compass points to a different north?
At the end of all that, my thinking is that all anyone can do is carry on to the best of his or her ability. You do what you can and hope that should you find yourself in front of St. Peter at the pearl gates in the end of it all that it was enough.
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