Life Question # 7

[Salinye]

When has your life dramatically changed as the result of some seemingly random external influence? How much do you feel in control of the course of your life?

 

This question has a bonus question, but I'll wait to ask it until we have the answers to the first one. :0)

 

~Salinye

Edited September 26, 2003 by Salinye

[Peredhil]

Using the filter criteria at the bottom of the page, he sorts on Topic Starter and reaffirms his memory - Salinye has been active in starting a number of provocative threads, supporting other's threads, and having the courage to ask good questions.

 

Scratching his head, he wonders from where her boundless creativity springs, and if he can buy some.

 

1) I could cheat and take the words literally, and dodge with the truth - I don't believe in random. But I think I understand the intent of your question, and will answer that with a Link to life-direction changing event,

so that I don't clutter up this thread with a terribly long answer. Heh, y'all know I'm a Holy Roller nut anyway, so it should come as a shocking surprise.

 

2) Control...

Unfortunately, I find I have a great deal of control over my life when I'm not thinking about it. Despite the opinions of some about my intelligence and wisdom, I seem to make some of the stupidest most foolish decisions in my life that someone can make and still live. Then I get to live with them. The perils of Free Will - I can only control myself, and influence others, but I have to be responsible and accountable for everything I do or say. It would be nice to shove responsibility off on other people ("You made me mad!", "How could I study with you making all that noise - that's why I failed!"), but I've found it just isn't true, and I can't really practice that level of self-deception after I found it in myself.

Consequences. Forgiveness can be easy, but those consequences...

"I forgive you for jumping off the bridge when I told you not to jump, but those rocks at the bottom are still waiting for you, forgiveness or not." waves goodbye

 

In my ideal situation, I do things God's way, to the best of my understanding, and I know that my challenges (for there are ALWAYS challenges) will have a way through them that has the best resolution for all involved. I don't mind a difficult dark climb up a mountain-side if I'm guaranteed a warm sunlit view at the top. As someone who's a Stabilizer, I dislike sudden change with no assurances. Which is a change in itself - I used to be very much a Changer.

 

Realizes he's babbling from fatigue again, and shuts up.

[Alaeha]

Dramatically changed?

 

...

 

How about the choir trip on which I met someone who later became not only one of my best friends, but also, for a time, my "boyfriend"? It was through him that I met so many of my friends these days... or through friends I met through him. One of them directed me here back in february... And it was also meeting him that got me back into poetry. (Of course, he dumped me later... but I'd do it again) I'd say all of that combines to make a dramatic change...

 

As for the control... I have control over my life inasmuch as the decisions are given to me. I can decide what, for example, I intend to major in, or even whether I'll go to my classes. I can't decide whether there will be job openings for people with my education later on, and I can't decide whether my grades are harmed by my absence...

 

I'd say that I have more control over life than I used to... but no matter how much freedom is given to you, you can never choose the consequences of your actions.

 

... If that in any way answers the questions you actually asked...

[Lady Celes Crusader]

1) When I was born.

OK I admit that's a totally obnoxious answer but it bears it share of truth when answering the first questions.

 

2) Well, while I'm in control of some part of it, there's always things that will always been out of my control. You cannot always choose to whom you work although you can choose your domain by choosing one educational branch. That was, of course, one example among so mny others.

[Forgotten Soul]

Takes a long swig of his ale, preparing to regale a tale about life and truth, wondering if new truths that had never before occuerd to him will be shed this day. Taking a deep breath, He slowly rises to his feet.

 

 

The one event that comes most freely to my mind that is due to a, as Salinye has put it, seemingly random external influence, would be a car accident I was involved in almost a year ago. In this accident, a gentalmen walked onto the road without looking. Unable to stop in time, I hit him. and killed him.

This single event forced me to exam my entire life, and my entire self, to see the type of person I was. It is an action I am still undertaking.

 

But now, as I would like to dwell on the first part of your question as little as possible, onto the second part of your question. How much do you feel in control of the course of your life?

 

Well, as much as I do not know if anything could be done about this event, I do know that how I recoverd from it had everything to do with how much controle of my life I had. If I didn't take control of my own life, and force myself back to doing things: Going to college, Meeting friends, getting a new job, I would not have been able to go on. In response to your question then, I believe we have as much control over our lives as we ourselves are willing to exert. To this day, (and this is a belief that may haunt me to my dying day) I still believe that had I noticed something sooner, I could have changed the outcome of this event. However, I also realize that some random events are simply that. Random

 

After this long and beleagerd discusion then, I finaly come to my point.

 

While random events are a fact of life, and while not all events can be totaly contoled because of this random factor, How we deal with these random events shows how much control we exert over our own lives.

 

I hope I have answerd this in a manor that befits the question.

 

 

Finnished his tale, He raises his mug to Salinye, and carefully returns to his seat

[Degenero Angelus]

1.) More than a few, none that I'd like to talk about. Needless to say, I'm a very altered individual.

 

2.) I believe that I have someplete and utter control over absolutely nothing. People who know me in real life, and one of those here does though he doesn't come around anymore, would be quick to tell you I'm one of the most submissivle people on the planet. I let other people's decisions run my life, and I always have.

 

Cheers, Deg.

[X-Sabre]

Don't really know if I truly know of the best way to answer the question, or if I truly understand the exact question.

 

1) I don't know if it's necessarily random, but both of my parents lost their jobs around the same time. Consequencially, I moved to a new town, and I'd say it changed my life pretty drastically. My school was about 10x worse, had no friends.. and saw a lot of horrendous stuff after my mom died. Who knows, if I hadn't moved there, maybe I'd still be the innocent nice guy I was before. But time won't change, only I will. So here's to hoping I change for the better now.

 

2) Control.. Some would say yeah, others would say no.. I say maybe. Sure we have control over a lot of small details in our lives, but at the same time, we have so very little control over the chaos that is life.. I guess I'd say yes and no.. And leave it at that.