Accept the choices of others
Josh Mannen
Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Opinions
Each day, we all experience growth and change, transforming the person we once were into the person we will be. Does that make us more of a complete person or does it merely make us a different version of our former self? And if we are so different, which version of ourselves is the truer of the two: the formeror the latter? For example; a man living in a very small town has gone through his entire life eating only cheddar cheese. Now, he found said cheese to be wonderful and only had it on rare occasions requiring such a prestigious food. One day, however, a peddler who has never entered this town before offers the man a slice of Swiss cheese. The man accepts, hesitantly placing the alien slice upon his palette. Upon discovering the new, intense flavors, the man offers to buy the merchant's entire supply of Swiss cheese. Now, the man only eats Swiss cheese on the special occasions because he finds it clearly superior to Cheddar cheese.
Back to the original question; is the man still the same man he was before the peddler came into town only with slightly different taste? Or is he a totally new man with only a love for Swiss cheese? I believe the answer lies within the perception of man based upon different facets of the man's being. For example, the man still goes to the same job every day. He showers in the same bathroom every day. He even goes home and kisses the same wife every night. However, when the man thinks of what cheese he desires for dinner, he no longer even ponders Cheddar. So, from the point of view of food preference, he is an entirely new man. But does that one small facet adjustment in the man's being transform the entirety of the man?
Existing now is two different forms of the same man, consisting mostly of the same attributes, only the preference of cheese separates the two based on a period of time change. Which version of the man can be seen as superior? If the man went through life not knowing that other cheeses existed besides Cheddar, does that make him superior to a man believes only Swiss cheese exists? Consider a man that has transcended the one cheese reality, experiencing every cheese in the known world and has made an informed decision on his favorite cheese. Does that make this man superior to either the Cheddar or Swiss lover? I believe if you asked either the Swiss or the Cheddar lover this question, both would agree that sure, the man who has experienced all the cheeses of the world is clearly superior due to his own personal growth and choice. By expanding his knowledge of the universe, he has gained the ability to make his own choices, where before the one cheese individuals have only the limited knowledge placed before them. Even if the man traveled the entire world and reached the conclusion that he still prefers Cheddar over Swiss, he is still a superior man due to his accumulation of knowledge in the area of world cheeses.
Back to the original question; is the man still the same man he was before the peddler came into town only with slightly different taste? Or is he a totally new man with only a love for Swiss cheese? I believe the answer lies within the perception of man based upon different facets of the man's being. For example, the man still goes to the same job every day. He showers in the same bathroom every day. He even goes home and kisses the same wife every night. However, when the man thinks of what cheese he desires for dinner, he no longer even ponders Cheddar. So, from the point of view of food preference, he is an entirely new man. But does that one small facet adjustment in the man's being transform the entirety of the man?
Existing now is two different forms of the same man, consisting mostly of the same attributes, only the preference of cheese separates the two based on a period of time change. Which version of the man can be seen as superior? If the man went through life not knowing that other cheeses existed besides Cheddar, does that make him superior to a man believes only Swiss cheese exists? Consider a man that has transcended the one cheese reality, experiencing every cheese in the known world and has made an informed decision on his favorite cheese. Does that make this man superior to either the Cheddar or Swiss lover? I believe if you asked either the Swiss or the Cheddar lover this question, both would agree that sure, the man who has experienced all the cheeses of the world is clearly superior due to his own personal growth and choice. By expanding his knowledge of the universe, he has gained the ability to make his own choices, where before the one cheese individuals have only the limited knowledge placed before them. Even if the man traveled the entire world and reached the conclusion that he still prefers Cheddar over Swiss, he is still a superior man due to his accumulation of knowledge in the area of world cheeses.
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Grant
posted 7/15/09 @ 2:03 AM EST
I agree whole heartedly with the importance of being an indevidual and to make your own choices based on what you feel is right. Over the last two years I have undergone a complete inventory of my belief system to determine just what it is I truely believe. (Continued…)
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