Destiny and Free Will

By Edward Mullen

Destiny and Free Will - a new book by Edward Mullen. Available now in print and ebook. DESTINY AND FREE WILL is about the choices we make, the people we interact with, and the events that unfold in our lives. It explores the simple belief that everything happens for a reason and attempts to unravel some of the universe's grandest mysteries like: What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? and Why do certain events happen in my life? For some, this book will provide illuminating clarity, while making others question the foundation of their beliefs entirely.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Edward Mullen
• Release date: Mar 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9780988048744

Edward Mullen

Edward Mullen is an author, blogger, and podcaster from Vancouver, Canada who is perhaps best known for his debut novel, THE ART OF THE HUSTLE and his techno-thriller series PRODIGY.Born and raised in beautiful British Columbia, Edward developed a love for the wilderness. This love, combined with an innate curiosity about all things, eventually spawned a healthy imagination for storytelling. He continued to follow his natural passion all the way through to university. Despite spending a lot of his time indoors writing, Edward continues to enjoy the outdoors. He is an avid tennis player, mountain biker, snowboarder, runner, and traveller.

Book preview

Destiny and Free Will

Destiny and Free Will

An Exploration into the Belief that

Everything Happens for a Reason

Copyright 2018 by Edward Mullen

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a published review.

The information presented herein represents the view of the author as of the date of publication. This book is presented for entertainment purposes only. Due to the rate at which conditions change, the author reserves the right to alter and update his opinions based on new conditions. While every attempt has been made to verify the information in this book, neither the author nor his affiliates/partners assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions.

Published by Imperium Publishing

ISBN PAPERBACK: 978-0-9880487-3-7

Also by Edward Mullen

The Art of the Hustle

The Art of the Hustle 2

The Secret Manuscript

Prodigy

Prodigy Eternal

Prodigy Returns

Eden

I am Rome

Des-ti-ny – noun

—Predetermined events that are beyond human control.

— A plan devised by a higher power.

—A chain of causation that predetermines future events.

—A set of circumstances or events that happen for a reason.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one, but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

— Marilyn Monroe

Introduction

Sometimes in life, all it takes is one tiny decision, one small moment where everything changes. Many of us have had some extraordinary events unfold in our lives that have been the result of a small decision that we once made. In some cases, we may be able to recall or trace back to the single moment or decision where our life took a drastic turn. The following story is an example of this. My life took a drastic turn stemming from one seemingly insignificant decision to go to a party. That decision changed everything.

***

At the time, I had no idea how important and monumentally life changing this decision would be, but there I was, a naïve 20-year-old sitting at home on a Saturday night. I had just received a phone call to go out to this club downtown and I was contemplating whether I should go or not. Although I was not much into partying and I was kind of tired, I didn’t immediately dismiss the idea. Thoughts such as: I have work tomorrow, Will I have fun? Will I know anyone there? Do I have enough money? raced through my mind. I figured that if I did not to go to the party, not only would I miss out on that experience, but I would also be missing out on an infinite series of experiences that may follow from it. I reasoned that whatever I gained by not going to the party was not worth what I was giving up – a lifetime of possibilities. With my basic understanding of logic, that was a wager that I was unwilling to make, so I decided to go to the party.

My friends and I arrived at the club early and didn’t have to wait long to get in. The night was off to a good start, we had a few drinks in us, the atmosphere was nice, and the music was good. We got a table and continued to sip drinks and ogle girls.

At several points during the night, I went to the washroom. On one particular occasion, I exited the bathroom and spotted a gorgeous girl sitting by herself. Ordinarily I would be too shy to talk to her, but it just so happened that a number of unlikely elements had lined up in a way that influenced my decision. It was a perfect storm.

The first element was that she was by herself. This made approaching her a little less intimidating. If you’ve never been rejected in front of a group of women before, let me tell you, it’s humiliating. Even if you are good looking, smart, charming, and well dressed, it might not matter. The simple fact that you decided to talk to one of the women will often incite jealousy amongst the other women in the group. They berate you with insults until the point where you have no choice but to bow your head and walk away in shame. Fortunately, I did not run that risk.

The second element was that I had just the right amount of alcohol in my system to be witty and charming without slurring my speech or coming across as creepy.

The third, and probably most important, element was that we made eye contact. When this happened, doves flew overhead. Not really, but you get the idea. She stared at me an extra few seconds longer than necessary. To my 20-year-old brain, this could only mean one thing: she liked me. I had been given the green light so I decided to approach her.

The time it would take for me to walk over to where she was sitting was only about five or six seconds so I had to think of a good icebreaker. As I got closer, we locked eyes again. My palms became sweaty and I could feel my heart rate elevate. When I arrived at her table, I stood confidently, cleared my voice and said… Hello. It wasn’t exactly a moment of genius, but it would have to do.

Hello, she said back.

Can I buy you a drink? I offered.

I already have one, thanks.

I looked down and saw a full glass of something. This made me feel stupid… and even more nervous.

After the initial awkward phase had passed, I calmed down a bit and felt more comfortable. From there, the conversation flowed smoothly. I discovered that we had a lot of things in common, we both had the same favourite movie, and we both enjoyed tennis, snowboarding, and golf.

Her friends eventually returned and she introduced me. I called my friends over and for the remainder of the evening we all hung out as one big group. At the end of the night we decided to part ways. She grabbed a napkin, wrote her number on it, and handed it to me. She made me pinky promise to call her the next day. I gave her a hug goodbye and then made my exit into an awaiting cab.

The next morning when I woke up, I couldn’t help but smile as I reminisced about the wonderful evening that I shared with this complete stranger. I had no idea what would ever come of it, but I was very thankful that I decided to go out.

When I got out of bed, I immediately went over to the crumpled up jeans that were lying on the floor of my room. I emptied the pockets and placed the contents on top of my dresser: loose change, a random receipt, and a gum wrapper… but no phone number. I checked again. This time I flipped the front pockets inside out. I re-checked the back pockets and coin pocket, and even shook my pants upside down. Nothing. I looked around my room, high and low, but the number was nowhere to be found. After about ten minutes, I came to the sad conclusion that the number was lost and gone forever. I had a first name and a fading image of what she looked like, both would be of little help. I could go back to the same club night after night in hopes that she will return, I thought. I dismissed the idea as being too creepy. I abandoned all hope and took it as a sign that it was not meant to be.

A few weeks later, I was working at the mall. I was actually covering a shift at a different mall location than the store that I normally worked at. This was not common practice for anyone to do in our store and it was the first time I had ever done it. But there I was, working on what would otherwise be my day off in a store on the other side of town from the one I normally worked at.

On my lunch break, I went down to the food court and stood in line at a Chinese buffet. I didn’t normally eat Chinese food, but that day I had a rare craving for it. As I was eyeing out the food

Reviews for Destiny and Free Will

[Koray Tulgar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best on this subject. Very clear. Highly recomended.