By Ustaz Mark Bang
The notion that people’s rise and fall are primarily due to their own thoughts and actions is a complex philosophical topic that thinkers throughout history have debated. There are several perspectives to consider.
From an individualistic standpoint, the idea holds that people are largely responsible for the trajectories of their lives through the choices they make, the habits they form, and the efforts they put forth. This view emphasizes personal agency and accountability. Proponents may argue that while external factors can influence outcomes, individuals ultimately have the power to overcome challenges and shape their own destinies through their mindset, work ethic, and decision-making.
On the other hand, critics point out that people’s lives are significantly impacted by factors beyond their control, such as their socioeconomic background, access to resources, systemic inequities, and chance occurrences. They may argue that attributing success or failure solely to individual thoughts and actions oversimplifies the complex interplay of personal, social, and environmental variables that shape people’s lived experiences. Ultimately, the degree to which people’s rise and fall are attributable to their own thoughts and actions is a matter of perspective and philosophical orientation.
There is merit to both the individualistic view and the recognition of external influences. A balanced understanding acknowledges the role of personal agency while also considering the profound impact of contextual factors beyond an individual’s control.
Taking Biblical verses like the Book of Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1 Peter 1:23-25 written in the Scriptures?
A voice says, Cry [prophesy]! And I said, what shall I cry? The voice answered, Proclaim: All flesh is as frail as grass, and all that makes it attractive [its kindness, its goodwill, its mercy from God, its glory and comeliness, however good] is transitory, like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely [all] the people are like grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. [James 1:10, 11; I Pet. 1:24, 25.]
Isaiah 40:6 you have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever-living and lasting Word of God. For all flesh (mankind) is like grass and all its glory (honor) is like [the] flower of grass.
The grass withers and the flower drops off, but the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you. [Isa. 40:6-9.] 1 Peter 1:23
We have spirit, soul, and body. First of all, we are spirit beings, and we have a soul in a body. We need to have a body to be on this Earth. Our body, which is our flesh, will one day die. Therefore the Lord put us in the sense like unto glass and flowers in the field. All will die and fade one day. However, the word of God spoken and prophesied in the Bible will remain. Not a word of God will fall to the ground null and void. It will go forth and fulfil what has been spoken.
Our spirit and soul will live on and will return to the Lord; however, our body will rot and return to dust. Remember who we are and what we have come from the Father in heaven, for He created us. Eat and play, talk and deprive others, but know the time comes when your actions will be put to an end. People do rise and fall due to their own actions. They are responsible for their own behaviour, and they have choices. It is as is. If they made bad choices and then this had a knock-on effect on their lives, then yes, they chose the outcome. However, we can all learn from this, and most of us have made mistakes.
The learning is in what we choose to do next. If we repeat the same actions, then we will get similar outcomes. If we reflect on this and try a different path, then we will get a different outcome. I say to clients who get stuck, “Is what you are doing now bringing you closer to what you want or further away from what you want?” This gives clients an opportunity to set new goals and change behaviours for a more desirable outcome.
You can’t make people think. Everybody thinks on their own within their capacities. They will be making choices that are independent of yours. The world outside the human domain is far more predictable, but you can’t access it without some form of capital, be it financial, instrumental, or intellectual, which requires you to deal with your fellow people first. It is the material, non-human things you need for producing what others want. You don’t have to justify these. It is what it is. Once you succeed, you will proudly like it all. The world is not benevolent or malevolent. It is indifferent to you.
I see justification of an action and empathy for an action to be two very different and separate concepts that require very different mental processes. I’m an empath, which means I had to earn to block others emotions from being absorbed. People will say they empathize with someone because they have experienced the same emotion this person is feeling. However, this is only a shared understanding of the emotion itself, and without having any actual experience that comes close to how this person came to feel the way they do, they can perhaps claim to have stood in that person’s shoes but couldn’t walk a single step, let alone walk a mile.
As an empath, I can feel exactly the same depth and intensity that another person is feeling. Along with any other emotions that are involved as if they are my own emotions. When I say, “I know exactly how you feel,” I really mean it and can describe it to them. I don’t need to have experienced whatever caused them to feel as they do, but most people will realize that their experience is unique to them. Yet they are seeking someone who can relate to their feelings because it’s their feelings that they are struggling with and are trying to make sense of. I can empathize with someone’s feelings, but that in no way means I will accept their justification for their actions. What they are feeling is a consequence of their actions, and they choose to take whatever their action is.
As for justification of negative behavior, I see it like this: if the behavior was known to likely have a negative impact on someone else and it was a deliberate choice to go ahead with the action anyway, I can empathize with the emotions they may be feeling as the result, but any action that will have a negative outcome for someone else yet is done with deliberation is simply cruel. There is no justification or rationalization that makes it acceptable in my eyes. I dislike excuses, rationalizations, or attempts to justify cruel behaviors and don’t know of any that make cruelty acceptable.
I’m glad to say that I can’t even recall the last time I meant to hurt someone unless it was physically in defense of myself or those I love, and the threat must be physical and real itself. I can still be thoughtless at times and inadvertently cause someone a problem through my actions. When that happens, I will own it and sincerely apologize for it, but I won’t make an excuse for or attempt to justify my own stupidity through some rationalization. I won’t accept it from someone else, so I can’t “justify” it in my own behavior. “Public Staunchest Ally.”
The writer of this article is a human rights activist, writer, and professional teacher.