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The Freedom to Be
In the essay “The Wisdom of Life” Schopenhauer writes,
"Everyone believes himself a priori to be perfectly free, even in his
individual actions, and thinks that at every moment he can commence
another manner of life. ... But a posteriori, through experience, he
finds to his astonishment that he is not free, but subjected to
necessity, that in spite of all his resolutions and reflections he
does not change his conduct, and that from the beginning of his life
to the end of it, he must carry out the very character which he
himself condemns...."
Labels: References
posted by EMC at
5:43 PM
3 Comments:
It is moments like that one that make me wish I had never left. That quote from Schopenhauer rings true too much of the time.
Yes, but even in this light, I feel that I am not relieved of the pursuit.
to condemn sets up the return of the favor-to the original target. I have to diagree with the old man though, and say that individuals do change their conduct - and, yes, we end up being a fallible and condemnable human being - a saving grace.
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