I think you get a choice to follow this path or the other one. That makes your future. How independently such a choice is ever made is another question - probably even that is largely predestined, or not.
Rob,
It's reasonable to presume that all creatures have at least some degree of choice with regard to a particular path or direction to follow. It has been observed that even male spiders sometimes employ a strategy to avoid being eaten after copulation. After locating the female spider, they will sometimes wait in the background patiently until they see the female catch a prey, such as a fly or other insect. The male spider will then quickly approach the female and mate with her whilst she's still in the process of eating her newly acquired prey, then he'll get out of the way as quickly as possible after the mating is complete.
Of course, we all like to think we have many more choices and options of paths to follow, than other creatures do, but often such choices are significantly influenced by deep-seated conditioning in our subconscious, which we are not aware of.
Anyway the point I was addressing, in response to your question, 'Who would be a spider?', is even more profound. We don't appear to have any choice regarding what circumstances we are born into, whether as a male or female with a high IQ or low IQ, whether genetically deformed in some way or just normal, whether into a rich family or poor family, a Muslim family, a Christian family or an Atheist family, or in a developed country as opposed to a poverty-stricken undeveloped country.
We certainly don't appear to have a choice whether to be born as a spider, or a cockroach or a kangaroo, although the religion of Buddhism, with its concept of Rebirth, teaches that our actions in this life will determine the quality of our future lives.
If your circumstances are lousy in this life, behave well, with compassion and kindness, and you will be reborn into better circumstances next time around. Behave badly, killing and destroying and promoting hatred, then you will likely be reborn as a cockroach, although there is still no option offered in Buddhism to choose which lower life-form one would prefer.
In general, I have no objection to any religion that promotes harmony and cooperation among individuals, societies and nations. The animal instincts within humans are the cause of all the conflicts, wars and power struggles. Religion at its best attempts to overcome or transcend such animal instincts.
However, sometimes the priests and teachers of such religions clearly fail, and the religion seems to fall into the trap of promoting the very animal instincts it is supposed to transcend, as in the case of armies in the past, fighting and killing under the banner of Christianity, with the aim of promoting or defending Christianity, a religion which espouses the major principle that one should '
love thine enemy' (not kill him).
Thus endeth Philosophy lesson 101.