We are what we choose

The wold becomes so gloomy and life seems to be unworthy of living because of so many wrong decisions made by men. Many people in the world find themselves fragmented and little security and less hope for their future. No doubt, threats and hatereds color the talks of their days. And even up to the extend that they decide to put to an end to their precious gift of life as a an expression of and or as the short-cut of their disappointment to life. They, influenced by their wrong decisions, often tend to view life more as a disaster to be avoided as much as possible than a grace or God-given gift to be lived to the fullest in this beatifully fashioned world. As a matter of fact, moreover, they often wonder if happiness will ever find its way back into their lives. Therefore, it is the perfect time for them to be reminded of the precious gift of each day presents to them and never substitute the real beauaty around us for some far-off dreams of tomorrow by making the right choice today.
We, therefore, do agree that one of the most challenging aspects and momentous in our lives is decision making. People must choose what they are going to do and what they are not going to do. What they are going to say and what they are not going to say. That is why no wonder if we see clearly and identify distictively the core value of this troubled world relies on the decision making. We ourselves witness young people sometimes make frightening choice concerning their life. Parents too do the same thing concerning their family life. The presidents of the states and the managers of the companies make their choice that often time affects the life of others. Thus, the essential and fundamental question for all of us is what does it mean to choose or is it true that life is absurd because of what we choose?
The variety of things in life makes us to choose and we are the products of our choice that we have chosen. The fact shows that the reason why we are here today is because of the choices our parents have chosen. I am pretty sure that our fathers or mothers have had many girl-friends or boy-friends before they got married. Supposing our fathers decided not to choose our mothers to be their wives but another woman, i am convinced that we are today would not be the same as what we look like today. Henceforth, we are the products of their choice to exist and to be what we are in this beatiful world of today.
Our life today is the result of our choices of the past and our life tomorrow will be the result of our choices that we make today. John Paul Sartre says that existence precedes essence means that people first of all exist, confront themselves, emerge in the world, and define themselves. Thus, sartre’s chief point is highly subjective that people can presumbly set out to make of themselves anything they wish because human have greater dignity than stone. What a person gives dignity is possesion of subjective life meaning that something which moves itself toward future and is conscious that it is doing so. Therefore, man, as he says, is beig-for-itself or conscious subject which differentiates him from a stone or being-in-itself. To be a conscious subject is to stand constantly and responsibly before future for his existence rests aquarely upon each man. For example, we who want to be teachers or leaders of tomorrow. Our choices we make today should lead us to it. In other words, we cannot say that i am committed today but i will not be committed tomorrow. It is not a genuine choice because when we choose we are fully aware of it therefore we are responsible for whatever cosequence of it.
Our choices reveal who we are. I would like to give you an example of a beatiful picture drawing. We know that it has been made by someone who had in his mind a conception of it, including what it would be used for. Therefore, when we think of people’s nature we tend to describe them as a product of a maker or of a creator. If that is, man is what he makes of himself, he has no one to blame for what he is except himself. Furthermore, when a man chooses in the process of making himself, he chooses not only for his individuality but he is also responsible for all men. As what Sartre says hat eventhough we create our own values and thereby create for ourselves we nevertheless create at the same time an image of our human nature as we believe it ought to be. When we choose that or this way of acting, we affirm the value of what we have chosen and nothing can be better for anyone of us unless it is better for all. Finally, let us be aware of our choices for what we are what we choose. We are not in the past nor in the future but we will become what we are unless we make our choice rightly today. If today you choose wrongly, you must be reliable to your essence.
By: Fransiskus Jemadi (Ikin)