Free Will

"Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship - a play between divine grace and willful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and your actions will show measurable consequence. Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he's a little of both. We gallop through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horse called "free will". And the question you have to ask every day is - which horse is which? Which horse do I need to stop worrying about because it's not under my control, and which do I need to steer with concentrated effort?

There is so much about fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under my jurisdiction. There are certain lottery tickets I can buy, thereby increasing my odds of finding contentment. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I eat and read and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life - whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts."

- Eat, Pray, Love


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So the country I'm assigned to for YOG is Benin. It's somewhere in West Africa. I've not heard of this country before and probably half of the other countries participating in the YOG (I realised this when I attended the YOG opening ceremony rehearsal last Friday). And that's when I realise that the world is massive, and I would die to explore every corner of the world, immerse myself in every culture and to learn various languages. Anyway, I was informed that the Chef De Mission I'll be working with only speaks French! This might sound exciting but looks like I need to practice loads prior to my working days. But the best part about it is that I'll be working with 2 other international students under Benin, one from the States and another from France. Woohoo. And my dream finally came true. I finally met the rest of the francophiles :)

I've been thinking about notions of right and wrong as of late. What really struck me as strange would be the discomfort the right person experiences for doing the right things. Why is it that some of the right things people do are frowned upon and are used as subjects of mockery? What has the world come to?