Quote from: jeffd on May 29, 2012, 22:19:22I think that's a very important question, because any pre-planned challenges bring the whole free-will concept into question. I've always looked at as being more of a 'map' than any kind of planned route; you can explore any areas on the map in pretty much any order, but you aren't required to explore every single area on the map. And anything that's not on the map is simply not an option.
What implications are there for our ideas about causality,free will and predetermination?
Have you collected stories that contain some verifiable aspects that would appeal to the skeptic?
I don't have great pre-birth recall, but one thing I know for sure is that it looks a helluva lot easier when you're looking at it from that vantage point. I do recall being cautioned about some of the plans I had for this lifetime and I remember saying something like, "Are you kidding me? This ain't my first rodeo!" Now of course, looking back I'm more like, What the hell was I thinking?!?

I also don't believe we're forced to go through circumstances that we consciously choose to not experience, because I'm aware of certain life-changing 'options' repeatedly presented to me and I said 'no' every time, so who knows... maybe I'll regret it later when I look at the big picture; but that's another story...