Do we control what will happen to us in this world by means of our free-will or is our free-will just an illusion to make possible the existence of personal ordeals and G-d really controls what happens? I was told that when a murder is committed the victim was meant to die anyway, but the murderer is guilty for having carried it out. I’ve also heard it said that the world is like a glass ball; it is fragile and with one slip the glass ball can fall and turn into sharp, dangerous pieces – does our free-will in fact change what will happen as the analogy suggests?
The following is what I find to be the best way to explain this paradox. First let’s explore a natural paradox that occurs and see how scientists deal with it. Then we’ll apply the same methods to the metaphysical paradox you discussed.
In nature, we used to assume that there was matter and there was energy, and they are not the same. In fact, by definition, matter has mass, and energy does not have mass. Therefore, logically the same particle must be either matter or energy, but certainly not both at once. We have since discovered that you can take a particle, perform a particular experiment, and thereby prove that it is and was matter. You can take an identical particle, perform a different experiment, and prove that it is and was energy. So was it matter or energy? It is clearly a logical paradox. So how can we deal with it? Scientists simply say that the truth depends on the experiment you choose to perform. Whichever experiment you choose determines the truth. Strange, but the entire electronic revolution is based on this.
Now, we can address the paradox of free will vs. pre-determination the same way. It is a logical paradox that can not be understood, yet is true. So how do we deal with it? It depends on what perspective we take. If we are talking about a person and his own choices, he has the chance to keep the ball whole, or smash it. However, if we are talking about a persons effects on others, nothing but G-d’s predetermined will can take place. So, in fact, both of your options are correct, and that is the maddening part of a paradox. It is true but illogical. (Bear in mind that logic is a creation of Hashem, yet Hashem is not bound by His creations.)