Recently I've been thinking about how some of the philosophy in the Pendulum book relates to my own life and life in general well it isn't my exact personal philosophy there are many elements of it that I identify with and can see working within life in the universe such as there's a predetermined element to life but also seems to be intersected by this strange element of randomness of uncertainty and where does this agency come in.
I know many philosophers and thinkers have tried to decipher this before I'm just another one. Even in terms of marketing the book and its success, do the things I do matter or is it already on a predetermined arc or course? and the things I do just influence it or has it already been decided whether I choose to market it or not market?
Can the things I do actually influence it or is it just luck which is another abstract and interesting concept that the characters are trying to decipher especially when the main character Ally is describing her Pendulum theory where she says although life can be predetermined a person can't abandon all agency and having trust in something as Abstract as a universe might be too much for some people.
She explains there needs to be a distinct division of surrendering some control to the universe but yet not abandoning all of your agency and this brings up another interesting point from the character Portia. Who's actually one of the most interesting personas in the book, she drives a lot of the action and has a very interesting dichotomy for a character.
I want the reader to simultaneously sympathize with her yet condemn some of the actions she's doing although understand she does have honour. Even if her deeds are misguided she has morals and falls on the chaotic neutral part of the spectrum as she rallies against parts of the law she sees as unjust.
She has a tattoo on a Latin maxim that says "Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit" which means 'nothing comes from nothing' that's important in the book in the sense of that day have agency within their lives.
They still have to do things to change the situation despite how predetermined or how hopeless things may seem. By having faith or whatever you may call it in the Pendulum it will swing through you life and put you on to the right path at the right time and this in conjunction with playing an active role ensures movement to the next phase or stage of life.
The characters are turbulently moved through multiple phases within the book and this also relates to my own life because I wave a lot between influencing it with my actions or just letting it play out like some cosmic stage direction. Of course I can't shed all responsibility but would anything drastically change if I did? What if I'm inadvertently making things worse?
The conundrum goes on.