The following post is somewhat verbose and not relevant to any current topic…I apologize ahead of time for any pointless ramblings that take place…
While having some drinks this past Friday night with some buddies of mine, we got into a discussion not typical of your standard bar conversation. Now, although the conversation might have started due to the alcoholic ramblings of how relaxed we all were that night, glad to be there together, it evolved into an in depth discussion about life and each of our places in the world. While one of my friends was talking about how glad he was that he had met us all etc. etc. (you know the conversation…everyone who has consumed alcohol in excess has been a part of one), one of my friends (who turned out to be extremely deep and philosophical when plastered) asked, “What decided that we would all be here together, sitting in Hong Kong, drinking beers together? Who decided that we would all meet and become friends?” This led into a discussion about faith vs. fate and raised the ultimate question, the question that I now bring to you and ask you to comment on your thoughts: What decides?
What decides? Answering this question is like counting the number of chairs in a stadium one-by-one…no matter how hard you try, you will never get the same answer twice…the quest towards ultimate truth has often been derailed by this idea of what decides the things that happen on a daily basis. Some say we decide our own lives. Who decided that we would be born? Our parents did you may say. Who decided that our parents would meet and get married? Indians might say, “Their parents…” Non-Indians may say ”love” or “fate”. Do these concepts really exist? What decided that we would call them such things? That there would be opposites in the universe, black vs. white, tall vs. short, light vs. dark?
Was it a supernatural power, a higher being in some far off place called heaven? If so, what decided that he, she, it, whatever it is, would have supreme rule over life on this planet? Who is the the higher power’s boss that decides what the higher power does?
In the end, each decision that is made is a decision subsequent to a previous decision that was made. But what makes that ultimate decision? Everything has a beginning…when was the first decision that was made? A question that will not be answered in my lifetime, but a good one to talk about nonetheless. So next time you are at a bar, and have nothing to talk about it, ask the question: who decides? It makes for some great drunken banter, let me tell you..
Cheers,
Taps
