Manifest Destiny

Stepping back a day to when i had the midterm, after that class in my other geography in the afternoon we watched two videos. One on Batam in Indonesia and the other one on 'getting rich' about China's economy. After that class i had some errands to run to get art supplies, sailing gear (PFD), and hobby supplies... which took me almost 2 hours downtown going between each shop. To make the whole experience more enjoyable it was raining and most of shops were closing around the time i down town so time was very limited. At one point I had to cover seven blocks, but if i would walk i would have to wait at every single intersection for the light to change. I did at one point run to cover two and a half blocks which did make a difference since the art supply store i was heading to was going to close in about an hour. I got most of what i needed when i was down there, but the stuff i couldn't get was because either the store was closed, or what i was planning on getting was out of stock. 

Anyways....

Manifest Destiny, as in creating your own destiny as you go along through life is a term most of us have heard of at one point. But how far from the truth is it? If we consider this we also inadvertently consider the questions attributed to free will and its debate. Now if we were to consider the other side of the spectrum, Determinism and Fatalism (that our futures have all been decided already by a higher power and we have zero choice in our actions). Where now does this put us? Us being the world, is in stalemate unsure which is the correct way to perceive the future while the opposing side argues the exact same thing. So now where? Now what? Its not like we are the preverbal fork in the road with only two options, since there are varying degrees of free will each can argue. So that turns a simple black and white spectrum into a rainbow of colourful decisions. Is there only one correct route? How many of them add together to make up ones future? 

If you are wondering about my perspective on this; I use to be a strong determinist but i have swung more towards the middle. The way I see the answer to the question about free will is simply (maybe not that simple) that our future is determined but within that determined future we have thousands of options which then determines our life's path. 

To what point does one stop questioning the world around them and their future on the basis of free will? That becomes a question for each and everyone to answer, since their is no solid answer about it. 

Moving along...

The reason why I am bringing this up, is because even the most focused individual will sidetrack. As for myself I still see my first priority is to become an Architect but I have ventured more than several times off course considering other interests. What those may be, range and are different from one another. I have considered Horticulture, Marine Architecture, Carpentry and the odd one Truck Diver. But every time i remind myself why i am wanting to go this route (of course Marine Architecture can be incorporated since it is related). I am doing this because I love the creativity of the design process, the rewarding process of seeing your design come to life and history/biographies of famous architects. The income itself is simply the icing on the cake, since it merely represents the amount of work that you've done you are paid for.  Similar to most jobs... but then how many jobs may ask you to work a seven day week? 

Another part of the dream is considering where i am going to live. The options aren't really limited but once you add the cost of rent then it becomes very limited. Hence why I am considering living on a sailboat. It may sound really romantic to lots but there is a lot more to consider than the wind and waves. In order for me to really enjoy the experience i am challenging myself on top of everything else (closer to the end of the year) to get my RYA Dayskipper and VHF operators licence before the new year. Even if would fall short and only get the VHF, I do have my PCOC so technically I could still move the boat once i find one. 

One of my biggest reasons for choosing to live on a boat is because of the freedom it allows to its owner. Even if the world would go topsy turvy, i could change my lifestyle from living docked to on the hook. Just hopefully everything will improve before it gets any worse. But honesty looking at the current world issues... it is more likely to go the other way, getting a lot worse before it gets better. Which is sad is say.