New Stripes

In what manner are we capable to deliberate on the true nature of things? With what can we presuppose to identify determinism without seeming the utter fool? Can coincidence, déjà vu and the unequivocal sense of feeling be evidence enough? Undeniably, something persists with each of us, in all of us, that guides us beyond sensible rationale to pursue a given course of action, because it makes sense, but we cannot explain how. Can we attribute this to the romanticism, hopefulness or the auto de fie to be loved? Loved utterly and completely by one who knows nothing of what you’ve become; only what you are. Where can we hope to stand with ourselves in the perpetual pursuit of a feeling?

With little argument, if any at all, there are vast differences in what we think and what we feel; most often I have found feeling to be the default for choices in my own decisions, and in others. It is not to be considered wrong to do so, however, appropriateness paramount. Moreover, the usage is not a choice of which to use, because we have little choice in the manner, but what to consider within us, in thought and feeling, is subject to consideration. It is not brooding pessimism or futile optimism, merely realism and objectivity. Everything has a positive, everything has a negative and a balance between them should always be made.

With the decisions I have made in life, I have dealt with the gamut of feeling just as any other, so I cannot consciously wax metaphysically about living a life with no regrets, save for the extremely inebriated nights with friends, but I digress. Truth be told, I detest the saying simply for the extent to which the saying fails to speak universally. Yes, it is true, that at every specific point in time we are making a decision based upon what we deem is the correct course of action; therefore it cannot be something we can regret. But would a thought in rage be the same made in a far more tranquil state? Or, perhaps, in an induced state? Nevertheless, regret is a type of learning.

To what extent are we to allow this learning to affect us? The hardest part about learning is the inability to abide by the choice made for oneself, and not based upon the impositions of others. Rarely will we find encouragement in the common circles of life, but in the few that are; we can find the change we so anxiously need. The adage holds true, that the friends and lovers you keep are a reflection of who you are.