Cog, or a Particle, which would you want? Options

[AC9breaker]

With Summer just about here, I've had a lot more time to do things Ive been wanting to do, and a lot more time to do nothing. Usually in those times of nothingness, I contemplated about things I've done or plan to do; entertain various thoughts of existentialist, philosophical, political, or just thoughts of an incoherent nature.

Recently I've had this thought in my head and I'm not sure which would better suit the goals I plan on achieving. That being would it be better in life to live as a cog in a clock, or a particle in space. I don't recall exactly what was thinking that brought me to these two examples but ultimately I thought a choice is made of from these two.

As a cog, one would have others to support you, one can depend on others (which could also serve as a handicap) there is a logical order or process in which things occur.

As a Particle, one is free to choose ones own destiny , no constraints. The Unexpected.

There are also downsides to both paths but I would rather see what some of you guys would say or choose. There is the other path that I've obviously overlooked. I say that because I refuse to believe that there is only two choices in anything we do in life. So, lets share our thoughts with each other. Do I just have too much free time on my hands or is there something to what I'm saying here?

[HC82]

Close to graduating college and not sure what to do with yourself?

First off, when making choices in life, you are a human. You are part of human society and interact and add to human culture on a daily basis. Even the so called "counter culture" adds to human culture and adds to the continued chain of influence on mankind.


That 's important to understand before going into words like "freedom," "destiny," and "choices."


Well, it's easy to make a Particle sound oh so glamorous in a world where freedom is just a "word." You always have the freedom to make choices in your life. Every second of every day you make choices. The reality is whether or not the freedom to make choices actually leads to one's freedom, which isn't the reality. For one's destiny, you're merely given a microcosm of near inifinite choices everyday of your life, which brings you closer to what you believe is your destiny, but in a world where even your chosen destiny is so heavily intertwined by cultural and societial influences (the actions of others), picking one's own destiny goes as far as picking a toy in a toy store. You can only think, choose, and feel based on how you're given to feel, to think, and to choose from. Expressing yourself as an unique individual goes as far as to what types of clothing I can pick out in a store (metaphorically speaking). I didn't make the clothes, someone else did, so how unique am I, let alone the freedom and uniqueness of my choices? You didn't make culture alone, someone else did, from ages past intill now. Culture, for mankind, is LIFE, since it heavily dictates our life style. There's still constraints not in the choices you make, but the choices to pick from in life.

Freedom to choose one's own destiny has as many constraints as home owner insurance. Theres never a question toward one's freedom to choose. Only the question of the choices avaliable and the influences behind why those choices are avaliable and if so, why you choose it.

There's no escaping that reality. But that is a part of mankind.

As for a cog, one aspect of human nature is that we are social creatures. We thrive and rely on each other, and in every sense of the words "thrive and rely," man kind's greatest achievements have been performed based upon utilizing each others strengths to create something awesome. A perfect example is a video game. The best games are made by a team of people, and its done waaaaay faster then a single individual. One cannot forsake the "group" in one's life, because it is a neccessity of life. The key is to utilize it to one's benefit, as well as to those around you. Regardless, it's not a matter of having to depend on others to move foward, but to tap into the strength of others to fortify one's own shortcomings. Meaning, it's neccessar to be self suffucient enough to function in a balanced manner by one's own self, but also never forsake and always utilize the strengths of others, so long as there is an equal balance and mutual gain on everyone's part. Because, as the video game example illustrates, that is the beauty of mankind's group aspect, which is also, in its self, what human culture SHOULD be about; meaning the shared benefit of the group, not the self.

Life doesn't work this way, but the foundation of how humans are created supports that it should. Obviously, theres a flaw somewhere in the cultural scheme.

Both choices yield postive results. Freedom and "the cog." It's about having the freedom to remove yourself from the crap of mankind and embracing the combined and shared aspects of mankind that makes life worth living.

In short, you've got something inside you that isn't determined by anyone. Those desires and skills need to be expressed. That's called being YOURSELF. You factor mankind out of the equation and look within. Granted, you never choose it, since it was born in you, but expressing that is part of your purpose, your freedom. I think people put such a huge focus on freedom. Mankind builds its own cages. Some people feel free, and others don't, but regardless, those cages do exist and they do impact the world (ex. need of money). So long as you can follow that inside of you which is not determined by society and culture past and present, you're expressing freedom. But the reality is that in order to express that, others will factor into the equation, as will culture and society. Those aspects will influence you, but so long as you can still express "freedom" for yourself (not to be confused with selfish desires). We are communal based after all. It's just about taking everything external and internal and creating postive things from it.