One of these evenings, while coming back from work and thinking about the turning points of my life, I released that most of them happened by hazard. They were as predictable as meeting a black swan in the subway.
For example: why did I decide to study Law? Because the admittance exam was the simplest back then as far as I was concerned (Grammar and History)… and also because my family faced some nasty legal issues and due to their lack of knowledge they struggled to cope them more than the average people would have done. So, it seemed to me the most convenient one, not to mention than not attending a faculty was not an option.
Was it my choice? Apparently not ... I was swimming in a context whose current lead me to go straight to Law Faculty.
Why do I work where I work now? Because I wanted to quit no matter what my previous place of work and here they needed somebody with my profile. Was it really my choice? Not quite.
I did not choose the family where I have been born, the country, the language, the culture, the mentality of the people around me, the clime and the education … and much, much more. I am not so sure if I’ve chosen on my own my partner, or to became pregnant, but now I choose to take responsibility for all of these.
I can choose between loving what I have or hating the whole kit. I know I’ve chosen to have a baby and I’ve also chosen to change my civil status. I choose to love my profession and to be ready for anything new. I choose to love my parents, the educations they gave me and everyone/everything around me. I can love my country but this does not mean the other countries have nothing else to offer. On the contrary. I inherited a language, but nobody is stopping me from learning others.
Maybe we can’t control so much the context, but once we are in the middle of it there is always a moment where you can make a choice: to stay and to treasure it or to leave and forget it. Maybe we do not have a lot of freedom upon what is going on around us but nobody and nothing can stop us from choosing the way we feel about everything.
So, is it all about the context?
Hell YES, and thanks God NO.