We do not choose to be born,
We do not choose our parents.
We do not choose our historical epoch,
or the country of our birth, or the
immediate circumstances of our
upbringing.
We do not, most of us, choose to die;
nor do we choose the time or
conditions
of our death.
But, within all this realm of
choicelessness,
we do choose how we shall live:
courageously or in cowardice,
honorably or dishonorably,
with purpose or adrift.
We decide what is important and
what is trivial in life.
We decide that what makes us
significant
is either what we do,
or what we refuse to do.
But, no matter how indifferent
the universe may be to our choices
and decisions, these choices and
decisions
are ours to make.
We decide. . .
We choose. . .
And as we decide and choose,
so are our lives formed. . .
Joseph Epstein - Secret Passion
|