Achievement

Are we nothing more than marionettes in a cosmic puppet play? Is the universe entirely determined, either by an impersonal, purposeless fatalism, or by a personal, theistic fatalism? Are humans simply robots, some of whom are sheep, and others goats, because of a predetermined fate?
What makes our situation even more complicated is that either can be used to justify fatalism. If God knows the future and knows who will go to heaven or hell, who will get a disease and who will be in an accident, then really we don’t have any motive to get close to God or pray. He’ll simply do with us as He has already planned, regardless of whether we love Him or hate Him. If life is part of an Godless, impersonal, purposeless system – then there’s even less reason to worry about being good or bad.
Either way makes for problems in seeking a focus and finding a reason to achieve anything.