The Universe and The Illusion of Free Will

If we throw a rock in space, it will continue on its path until a force comes in contact with it. There's a predictability, or destiny, to it - the adventure begins somewhere and will end somewhere else. 

If we could go back in time to the beginning of the Universe and move some particles it would, over billions of years, create a universe that's different from our own. The resulting universe would act in accordance to the changes made.

If we don't change anything then things should progress as it already did. The Earth would form and we would exist in it exactly as we are now... or would we?

Is there such a thing as free will or are we bound to a path similar to the rock that travels in space? Free will suggests that if we had 2 identical Universes that life would evolved differently in each, based on the decisions made, but if everything is the same then how could life possibly evolve any differently? 

How can decisions be any different when the surroundings are the same?

While there's no way to prove whether or not we're bound to destiny, or set path, I like to believe that we are bound to a degree of destiny as life isn't as unpredictable as some believe it to be. Everything that lives wants to survive and it wants to do so the easiest way possible. If another Universe has every particles exactly at the same place as our own then life would of evolved the same way. It would of crawled into the same cracks trying to find the same source of nourishment.

Free will is an illusion because if we were given the choice between eating at a table Infront of us or climbing a mountain to eat at the top we would choose the table Infront of us every time even if we're free choose. Intelligent life IS predictable in the sense that it takes the easiest way for its survival.

Part of the theory of time travel is that if someone goes back and makes a small change it could have dire consequences on the future.

If we didn't change anything in the past wouldn't this mean that life would progress the same as it did previously?

We think we have free will because we have no way of knowing what the future will bring. We can't predict the future therefor we believe that we're free to create it. 

We can't change the natural progression of time - the events will occur in harmony with the Universe regardless of our supposed free will. Because of our awareness to our surrounding, we have some degree of control over our environments, compared to a rock, but it doesn't mean that our actions aren't already known to the Universe.

We're not living our lives as much as we're discovering it.