How much of a "Divine Plan" or "Divine Script" is there to life? (Main Forum)

by James, Australia, Saturday, April 28, 2012, 06:15 (417 days ago) @ Brian Coyne

Whether or not there is a divine plan, it seems that there are some very human factors in why certain people become successful. It is very well described in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers.

The first thing is that you have to have some native intelligence but you don't have to be a genius. Maybe even just a little above average is enough. The second thing is that there has to be the opportunity, and the third thing is that you have to have enough discipline to spend at least 10,000 hours a a relatively early age doing what ultimately makes you successful.

So, only one of the three has anything to do with your own efforts. The natural intelligence comes from the genetic lottery and the opportunity really happens because of when and where you were born. If you believe that those last two happen through a divine hand, then of course, God has something to do with it. If you think it is just one of those mysterious quantum things that happen by chance, then I suppose He doesn't.

By the way, on Rupert Murdoch, there is a blistering account of his evidence before the Leveson enquiry by Eric Ellis entitled "All the Truth that Fits" in the Global Mail. Harold Evans has described Murdoch's evidence as more akin to the fanciful plots that his Fox Studios script writers might have concocted.I couldn't help thinking much the same as I watched it, particularly when he said that "you scratch my back and I'll scratch mine" applied universally to all humans, but did not apply to his dealings with politicians. It was also interesting to read the drivel coming from his "raucous cheerleader", Andrew Bolt, who just happens to work for him.

http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/all-the-truth-that-fits/216/