Self Determination: Fraud? [Oct. 08, 2008]

Self-Determination:  Fraud?

 

Life consists of a string of choices that lead to a goal.  For example, say I am making the choice to walk home from Philosophy class.  Every step that I take is, in its own right, a choice.  However, the reason I am making those choices is none other than to achieve my goal—arriving at my dormitory.  A determined life, therefore, depends upon the time frame that connects your choices to your goals.  If it were possible to live totally in the moment, the choice would be synonymous with the goal.  However, due to practical concerns, most in modern society allow visions of themselves in the future to overshadow the moment.  In my example, I was making unconscious choices, not even thinking about the fact that I existed.  I was choosing to put one foot in front of the other, not even thinking about that very act because my mind was so distracted by my goal.  On a larger scale, the same thing could be said about life.  One cannot let the goal overwhelm the present reality, especially since one can never be sure of the future.  The only thing one can be absolutely sure of is the empirical ability to make choices in the present.  If one could somehow convince oneself that the simple act of making choices is and end in and of itself, neither the past nor the future would be important. 

The reason why people project themselves into the future is twofold.  First, it has to do with selfishness.  I want myself to be something important—I (notice the capitalization of the personal pronoun) have a goal that I want for myself.  Second, it has to do with a desire for continuity in life, a desire for intrinsic meaning, a desire for purpose.  If my future is not important, then I am determining myself in the moment for no reason.  Or so the logic goes.  Once again, this logic is connected to man’s infatuation with knowledge and certainty.  Therefore, the second reason people worry about the future also has its core in selfishness, in the desire to know “why?”  Should we, then, give up on the pursuit of anything and simply resign ourselves to the sublime manifestation of God that is every single ineffable moment, instead of letting these moments pass us by unnoticed?

 

That, my friends, is the question.

 

I guess it all comes down to a value choice:  do you view your goals as worthy of your time, focus, and energy; do you believe that they are valuable parts of your self, that they are worthwhile pursuits?  Or do you view “goals” as distraction, and ultimately, fraud?