Issue 136

TOPIC: ISSUE136 - "The absence of choice is a circumstance that is very, very rare."

WORDS: 517 TIME: 00:45:00 DATE: 2008-4-3 16:20:38

This statement asserts that the situation when no choice is available is rare in daily life. I tend to agree with the speaker. Under the most circumstances, opportunities for selection can be easily checked out provided that we cogitate from a variety of perspectives--whether in politics, sciences, arts, or literature. In effect, absence of choice is the result of lacking sufficient contemplation.

Admittedly, in certain cases, we would be hard-pressed to agree or disagree with a matter, and difficult to say "no" or "yes" to a choice, but only have to accept it passively. For instance, in our common experience as human beings, the family circumstance is one incidence that we are not able to influence. After all, we inherently can not decide where we are born, and what occupation our parents serve to. As a result, even some people are disgruntled with their family--perhaps in wealth, social status, level of education, they have no alternative chances to determine achievements of their parents. Similarly, when faced with diseases, every one would choose to visit a doctor, instead of staying at home and enduring agony.

However, the case in which almost no choice is available actually does not exist pervasively. On the other hand, a great many splendid opportunities for decisions are supported to us, supposing that we take into account the special position, certain time, and particular figures. The speaker might claim that a staffer who works in a global corporation has to obey his or her boss's command and has no right to refuse. Yet, this conceived worker is still authorized by commerce laws that he or she can make an appointment with the manager. The employee may arrive at a choice that is best for him or her through having a talk with the manager or boss. For instance, Jobs, the chief executive of Apple Company, chose to stay back in Apple several years after he was fired by the board.

Furthermore, in the realm of history, the speaker's claim finds even less support. History is replete with examples of people who changed their destiny in tough circumstances. For example, black people were once treated as slaves by white farm owners in the south of America. But these "slaves" did not choose to comply with unfair and prejudice missions originating from their white "masters"; instead, they decided to revolute their fates and fight for their rights. Consequently, the will to select a differing style of life is the very cause of American Civil War which fulfilled the black's libertarian beliefs. Another paradigmatic example is Beethoven. When he began to loose his hearing in his thirties, Beethoven did not yield to his extremely bad ears and decided to continue composing without any hesitation. As a result, Beethoven had accomplished several profound works.

In summary, with few exceptions in which choices are hard to ferret out, opportunities for decisions can be found out, if we carefully consider all relative things, such as persons, time, and scenario, in tough cases. After a period of balancing between these matters, we will no doubt point out a few sound choices.