I've pondered the same question. I'm pretty much in the fate and destiny camp modified by karma and past lives. I'm also influenced by Buddhist thought, though I am not a Buddhist. I refer to myself as " a fool of an almost Buddhist". I look back at my life and get the distinct feeling that all was meant to be. I've looked back and the smallest decisions changed everything and propelled me on a path that led me here, today, this very moment. I ponder too, that I am the person who is come from 10,000 lives all of which made me what I am today. Every decision they made, determines who I am! Blessings.