No, this isn't a post on identity theft, although it would make a catchy title, don't ya think?
A rather commonplace event has led me to this post today, and it is a rather philosophical topic as opposed to my usual offerings of humor and occasional rants.
The origin of this post is the recent rear-ending and subsequent classification as a 'total loss' of my beloved Toyota 4 Runner.
We purchased our 4 Runner back in 2000, when our Rav 4 was totaled in a head on collision. For 8 years (almost to the day) our 4 Runner, which I'll abbreviate to 4-R in homage to Star Wars, ran well and worked hard. 4-R had over 175,000 miles when she was picked up by the insurance company, and we got nearly 1/3 of our original price back in the settlement, so, even in her passing, she was a giver.
My thoughts, however, wandered to the fact that we are now looking for a new car only because of what happened. Life sort of 'forced itself' upon us and made us replace our car--in all honesty, we would have kept 4-R until she totally died of old age if we had our choice.
It seems that life has a funny way of handing down decrees to me--and I find myself wondering if I'm living my life, or if I'm just a participant in it. Are the choices that I think I'm making already made for me? When I deviate from the path set out for me, does life find a way to, as Capt. Picard would say, "Make it so"?
My wife and I had no plans for having children until I was successful in Hollywood, but it seems life dictated otherwise, despite our efforts to the contrary. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it happened-- our son is the child that every parent dreams of, and we are blessed beyond description, but I find myself wondering sometimes "What happened to my say in this matter? How or why did the powers that be decide otherwise?"
Of course, one could argue there are no powers that be; there is no greater power deciding one way or the other what will happen to us. But, if that's indeed the case, how is it that so many people's lives end up nothing like how they planned it? I would venture to say most people are nowhere near where they dreamed they would be--is this a result of poor planning on their part? Poor execution? Were their dreams immature and thus unattainable? Is it because they had no dream or plan? Are we really in "The Matrix?" (BTW, I totally think the Europeans got it right when they decided to put the question mark OUTSIDE of the quotes...)
If you think about it, almost anything that can be dreamed has been accomplished. People used to only dream of traveling into space; today there are such possibilities (if your pockets are deep enough.) Businesses are launched, and for some, fortunes are made, while for others, fortunes are lost. How is it decided what works, and what doesn't?
Are people who are considered failures simply people who decided to go against a preordained path that life had in store for them? There are many who say I'm not a failure, but, if you were to sit and take stock of everything I've done, I must say that, in the field of my choice, I am a failure. One of my co-workers graciously labeled me as a "deferred celebrity," borrowing from the accounting definition of suspending or withholding until a certain time or event. While it is a rather funny thought, I do, on many occasions, find myself wondering if my lack of success is indicative of my choosing the 'wrong' path. Was I supposed to do something else with my life? If that's the case, is it really MY life?
There is that familiar saying "Man makes plans and God laughs." It must be true, because, based on my life to date, he obviously has one hell of a sense of humor.
