Recently I have read Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and another novel called, Love and Other Near Death Experiences, by Mil Millington. Both of these novels, have focused on the future and the question of how much the future already been decided and how much one can influence it. I find these questions surrounding the future and how much one can change it fascinating as there is no concrete answer.
Good Omens is a book about the couple last days on Earth before the Armageddon. A demon and an angel, who are supposed to be welcoming the Armageddon, find themselves in a dilemma when they realize they really don’t want the world to end. They spend the story attempting to foil the plans for the Armageddon just to have a couple more centuries on Earth. The son of Satan who is supposed to bring the Armageddon, in the end, chooses to not end the world. Everyone is confused as this was supposed to be the boy’s destiny but he makes a choice not to except it. Which of course leaves the question: did he change his destiny or was his true destiny to make this choice?
Choices. How much can you control your life with choices?
Which leads to the second book I have recently read. Love and Other Near Death Experiences follows a man who becomes obsessed with the small choices one makes everyday and how they greatly affect one’s life. The male protagonist makes a relatively small choice to buy some towels, which his girlfriend later makes him return, causing him to be late to a meeting at a pub. Since he’s late to the pub he is not there when a truck hits the pub, killing many people there. He is convinced that the very little choices can greatly change one’s life. Now he can’t decide if he should step out of the shower with his right or left foot or what socks he should wear today. Where will each decision lead him?
Can everyday little choices change your life path greatly? Or has the future already been decided?
These are very huge questions to think about and I think the author Garth Nix summed up the question very well.
“Does the walker choose the path or the path choose the walker?”
Goodreads. “Garth Nix Quotes.” Goodreads. 2013. 19 Jan. 2013 <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/60233-does-the-walker-choose-the-path-or-the-path-choose>
Yellow and Blue 