Most of us find it easy to think of ourselves as the special case that deserves the special consideration. I’ve not run across many exceptions, and most of them seemed to have achieved that exceptional state by discipline rather than natural bent. Don’t ask. I’m still (intermittently) working on it. It isn’t enough to simply be a unique instance of humanity, we have to be the most important instance of humanity and the pinnacle of wisdom.
There’s nothing new here. History is full of us.
But these days there’s a new twist to the old story. It used to be that only Pharaoh was told he was a god. I hear of more and more people who believe that being human is a limitation; that they are sui generis. Their own freedom to choose is or should be unbounded. If pressed about limitations their typical answer is that modern society, or modern technology, or future technology(*), have done away with such things. They can choose their own limitations—or not, as they please.
I have no trouble with the idea that exercising choice makes us co-creators and to that extent is an image of divinity. But I’d have thought it obvious that our choices are contingent and that paying attention to the rules of our existence was critical for making good choices. I could train night and day and never be worth anything as a pro boxer. When every cell in your body is XY it is pointless to stuff yourself with chemicals and whack off chunks to make yourself a grotesque doll.
I wonder about the trajectory of these would-be demi-gods. Do they typically hit a wall and quietly change their tunes? Do they worship "choice" more than actually committing to a choice, and flit fruitlessly through life? Or do some of them actually do something great?
(*) Yes, I’ve read a surprising number of people who (apparently quite seriously) referred to a topic from science fiction as though it were accepted technology. And I’ve run into a few in person. Not many, but enough to worry me.
2 comments:
Ben went to see "Safety Not Guaranteed," the new movie based on the real newspaper ad: "Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before."
He saw it at SXSW and recommends it. Trailer here.
http://youtu.be/Ve3pKug_Htc
I always admired Mr. Knightley's line in "Emma": "There is one thing a man can always do, if he chooses, and that is his duty." Emma had been making excuses for young Frank Churchill's failure to visit his father. because his rich adoptive mother dangled financial rewards in front of him if he catered to her instead. But Mr. Knightley's formulation assumed that nothing could be your duty if it was literally beyond your ability. Certainly it's foolish to speak of freedom of choice in what happens to you. Wouldn't it be great if kids who think they're free to change their gender also acknowledged that they're free to do their duty and shoulder the costs?
Post a Comment