Choice.

"What makes a man a man? A friend of mine once wondered. Is it his origins? The way he comes to life? I don't think so. It's the choices he makes. Not how he starts things, but how he decides to end them." - Hellboy, 2004

Is it odd to believe there's a higher power while simultaneously believing that where you end up in life is entirely by your own choices?

Agnosticism to me means accepting that there is a certain higher power that may go unnamed and without cultural or lingual divisions. But there's very little stake I put in destiny. While I certainly believe that there are certain things we have no control over, I do believe that someone somewhere does. Where we end up in life is not merely guided by blind faith and serendipity - it's choice.

A weird theory of mine is that life can essentially be made into one giant tree diagram, wherein every life-changing or major choice and decision we've made split our lives into two ways - the way it is now and the way it could have been. So essentially, if you had wanted to be somewhere else in life, you wouldn't necessary have to wait upon the right circumstances or timing. You need to change your choices.

I know everything that has happened so far in my life has come either as a direct or indirect consequence of my choice. I just sometimes wish some people, who are constantly either blaming their circumstances or surroundings, would realize this too.