The Thinking Sapling

It’s been a relentless few weeks. Deadlines loom ever closer, and there’s barely any time to stop for respite. The work doesn’t wait, and the world isn’t going to slow down. I’m working a lot faster than my comfortable pace, but I still have to push forward. I’m sure we’ve all had those moments where the weight of everything on our shoulders leads us to anger and frustration. We curse the people who set these expectations, the system that demands so much, and the circumstances that leave no room for choice.

At least that’s what it feels like, that we must do these things. That we have to act, to work, to fulfill obligation after obligation. Indeed, we don’t get to shape the world exactly how we desire. But we’re forgetting something, the one thing that fate can’t wrestle from us.

Suppose I promised a close friend I’ll join them at an event; is anything binding me to that promise? Is there a supreme authority that will punish me if I don’t? If there is, I still have the choice to suffer its ire. Is there some social contract or ethical norm where I’ll lose face if I don’t uphold my end? Certainly, but still, I could choose to face it. Will I risk my friend’s disappointment? Perhaps, but I can choose to disappoint them. Then what could bind me to my promise?

In truth, nothing is binding me. Even if the consequences are dire, I always have the choice to not work, rest, or live. Even if it brings much anguish to those near me, I could always choose to let them suffer. Nothing is forcing me, but why does it feel like there is?

When we feel we’re no longer dictating our lives, the feeling emerges that we are forced to action and no longer in control. It fosters a sense of resentment for all things. Oh, how dare the world demand so much of us; how dare it take this life away from us. If fate demands so much from us, why do we still follow its tune?

Well, the answer is simple: it’s because we choose to. We, at every moment, choose whether to work or rest, to surrender or live. We choose to chase a life worth living, to help people worth cherishing, and to fulfill our responsibility. And while the world may keep changing, the choice will always be ours to make.

So, is there anything binding me to that promise to my friend? Well, imagine for a second if they were alone at the event, perhaps standing around awkwardly with no one to converse with. While it may not happen, the mere thought of it is unbearable, knowing I could’ve prevented it. So, I choose to go, simple as that.

What have I done here, really, other than state the obvious? I honestly don’t know. But it was a nice reminder for me, at least, that the world isn’t all that cruel. That despite the conditions forcing me, I am still at the helm. The world isn’t calling us up to the painful march called life; we are.