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Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Choice, the problem is choice ...

If you are wondering where you have heard the above statement before, it is from the movie "Matrix Reloaded".

The movie, apart from being a huge treat for the eyes with the brilliant special effects, action sequences and acting, delved deeply into yet another very intriguing subject - that of choice.

I have tried many times writing on this topic, but it has turned out to be so complicated (more often that not) that I have had to delete the post everytime - even before I got midway.
But if you are reading this, I was successful in putting my thoughts into words (not very well, but it should be just good enough ...)

Anyways, this entire film revolves around the concept of choice and whether we have a choice - if at all.
The very interesting character of Merovingian has this to say during the movie:

Choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without.
And then, there have been so many situations in my life which have made me feel exactly the same way.

For instance, how can one know whether something that he or she did was a result of a choice - they had taken, things happening beyond their control or just plain fate?
How do you know - that once you have taken an option, that you were not meant to take the other one anyways. Either way, how would you ever know ?
It forms a huge paradox.

"But if YOU already know, how can I make a choice?"
"Because you didn't come here to make the choice, you've already made it. You're here to try to understand *why* you made it."
Whatever we do in our lives, is because of the choices we make, and (I feel that) every little event that happens around us, is responsible in some way for the events to happen in the future. Its like a domino effect.

However, I have seen people make choices which have doomed their lives and I have known about it and the moment of them making their choice. So many times have I advised people against it, but to no avail.

Like, I have this friend of mine who took up the branch of ENTC (Electronics and Telecommunications) in Engineering against my better judgement and is suffering for it now.
But then this is pushes it more towards the argument of fate, doesn't it?

However, though we may never know whether we actually have a choice or whether Merovingian was right - what we should probably make sure is to *really* think about what path we choose at the cross roads and make up our minds, never to regret it later in life - come what may...

3 comments:

Rishi Agarwal said...

One word - Maktub ...

It is from The Alchemist and means - " it is all written " . Read the book, u will understand what do u mean by fate , and also how the choices u make determine ur fate.

This is a complex topic to understand. Anyways, as i have stated in my earlier blogs...Karma and What am i doing here ? , you can select your path which in turn will determine ur future, but that choice is already determined by a higher Authority to take u to the path that He wants. So, what r u doing here if the choice is already made ? well, you are , in the whole process, learning how to make that choice.So even if you make a wrong decision, atleast you will understand that later, and make a better choice in future.


Lot of stuff to write on it... will do it in one more blog ;-)

As for your friend, its not life over for him. He can still make better choices frrom now on.. like taking your advice ;-)

Id it is said...

That is indeed a difficult subject you picked. Here's a poem I published a few years ago:

It was to be!
That which goes around comes around.
Now what?
Give in or give up.
Maybe easier to accept.

The doors we opened
on the road we chose
were not ours for the asking.
These doors unknown, on chosen paths
opened to hearths that warmed
sometimes to walls that chilled.

Aswin Anand T.H. said...

Dude, you are on the verge of an interesting journey. It's about something called "Karma" that has been talked extensively in Bhagavad Gita. For learning about the initial aspects about it, go for Linda Goodman's Star Signs book and look for the chapter named "Deja Vu".