Actors

It's all a show. The pain. The pleasure. The sorrow. The happiness. It's scripted. It's premeditated by the people involved that aren't you. You may think the dialogues and interactions are yours to mold and manipulate. They're not. You see we're actors, in a dark comedy produced by those around us. Or maybe your story is a tragedy, or a romantic tear-jerker, or a jam packed action/adventure that never gets dull. The point still remains, we don't choose. We've relinquished all power we have in our lives by simply living. Yes, we make choices and they have outcomes. We "stick to the status quo" or "stick it to the man," but those around us are always going to have the power to influence us. And to all the nay sayers who "live above peer pressure," shut up! No you don't. It's good to try to, but you don't succeed. At least not fully.

I've witnessed first-hand the powerlessness that is me. I do what I do because it's my role. Because those around me see to it that I recite my lines perfectly. Because corporate will cancel my contract if I don't agree to his/her/their terms. I've gotten good at this acting thing though. I memorize my lines, and can see part of the plot that lies ahead sometimes. It's come from 20 years of being in this business. Sometimes the plot twists still surprise me. Recent turns have really caught me off-guard. I guess I've been too distracted by my side jobs to focus on acting out my life. For shame. I've learned from these past few twists that I can't be the director. He/She/They have the last say in your performance. Try to sit in the director's chair and see what happens. I dare you.

No my place, like yours, is that of an actor, at least when it comes to my own life. You see we all get our chance to act, direct, produce, and write, but for our own lives we're simply payed with various comforts for reciting our lines without contention. Take a look around. Do you disagree? I believe in free will, but do we access it...no.