Looking Upstream

What happened, happened. Still, sometimes I wonder how far back upstream one would have to go to divert the river so that it makes a meaningful difference. Is it a case of what you see is what you get? The stream changing its course by precisely as much as you nudge it? How often does a little variation in how it comes upon a hillside send it off in a totally different direction? Chances are, you'll have to go all the way to the source. Maybe you'll need to move the mountain from which the river flows. And where do you move it? It's a purely academic question; at the end of the day, you can't. And even if, the water would still flow somewhere, and might end up inundating somewhere else. Only to still meet the same sea eventually, and possibly in the same spot.

 

And maybe the hardest question of all: Would you if you could? If someone presented you with a button that does all that, would you press it? Maybe after a beer or two, or ten? Guess what it comes down to is determinism. Is there such a thing as destiny, a great plan, a script for the stage play of life. There seems to be a correlation between believing in such a script and not being very happy about the way it went so far. The people who are more content with their outcome have a tendency to say, they did it all by themselves. And maybe they aren't entirely wrong. You are the creator of your destiny, people more versed in this kind of matter don't get tired of saying that.

 

And then yet someone else comes along and reminds you, there is no river, there is no mountains, and there is no you either. It's all just data points in the matrix. In other words, the sea does very much exist. So, at least something then, I guess.

Done