The Chiuces that We Make

Dear friends,

I find it interesting that sometimes even the most thoughtful people, when speaking of those in bad life circumstances, will say, “People make their own choices!” To me, the notion of making a choice is not so cut and dry. That is, when one makes a choice is that an action in and of itself? Or, is a choice the qualification of an action?

In other words, to suggest that making a choice is an act (of free will, mind you) does not take into consideration compulsory behavior, for example. And even then it seems, at least to me, especially in a market-driven, possession-oriented society like Ours, often times, greed presupposes compulsion.

Besides, is the abovementioned "free will", as it were, really made freely, if it is actually a manipulated and/or coerced response that is initiated by cultural group dynamics, along with both social and historical experiences, that allow us to be part of a particular population group? We are not solitary beings, after all.

Now, to be sure, sexual greed, social status, and power dictate the direction that most people take in this political economy or process of social reproduction in which we live called advanced corporate capitalism. If that were not the case, then Our society, much less the world, would be far less populated. Additionally, in this country alone, issues like abortion and homosexuality would be seen in an entirely different context.

G. Djata Bumpus