"Chopping Block"
It is a tragedy that we are so quick to dismiss agency. We favour external forces to rationalize and console ourselves with the thought that life proceeds from the outside, predestined, and is beyond our control. It is a seductive fantasy as it relieves us of any responsibility. Pacification of the will is a potent drug that isn’t easy to overcome once it sets in.
The problem is that external causes never work for our benefit. At best we are brought into submission through routine and incentives that prod us into believing that things are just good enough. Complacency is a dead end. If you are not afraid, something isn’t right and maybe you’ve swallowed a bit too much.
We shouldn’t let ourselves be robbed of the only thing that has ever allowed men to better their position in life. Agency and the sheer force of one’s will are crucial and, when it comes to brass tacks, they are really the only things that matter. Remember, livestock live happy complacent lives, they are sheltered, they are fed and content right up to the moment they are taken to the chopping block. Once they get to that point it is too late. The only antidote is to struggle and move towards a destination of your own choosing, lest someone else take you to theirs instead.
The problem is that external causes never work for our benefit. At best we are brought into submission through routine and incentives that prod us into believing that things are just good enough. Complacency is a dead end. If you are not afraid, something isn’t right and maybe you’ve swallowed a bit too much.
We shouldn’t let ourselves be robbed of the only thing that has ever allowed men to better their position in life. Agency and the sheer force of one’s will are crucial and, when it comes to brass tacks, they are really the only things that matter. Remember, livestock live happy complacent lives, they are sheltered, they are fed and content right up to the moment they are taken to the chopping block. Once they get to that point it is too late. The only antidote is to struggle and move towards a destination of your own choosing, lest someone else take you to theirs instead.