Whitewashed Dreams (A Chat blanc Story)

❦And we go vroooom vroooom!❦

I see MJ flipping through documents in his office, passing the time. I invite him to the balcony to chat and understand him better. We sit down and I ask a question. I want to see what he thinks. What he has in his mind, behind his lifeless eyes.

"Yesterday, you talked to me about the meaning of life..."

"Hey Adrien, have you ever thought about what freedom of choice really means?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Is it simply the ability to make choices freely? I suppose there is a unique definition for each person?" I respond, knowing full well that I think about it every moment of my existence.

"That's part of the answer, but there's more to it. Freedom of choice means the ability to make choices that are not predetermined or influenced by external factors," he responds.

"I see... you're giving me the dictionary definition! But isn't everything we do influenced by something else? Our education, our environment, even our genetics?"

"Yes, these things can certainly have an impact on our choices, but freedom of choice means that we have the ability to make choices that are not solely determined by these factors. We have the ability to reflect on our own values and make choices based on our own beliefs, rather than simply following predetermined patterns."

"Okay, I think I understand what you're saying. But what about destiny? If everything is predetermined, doesn't that mean we have no freedom of choice?"

"Well, that's a complex question. Some people believe in destiny, while others believe that we have complete control over our choices. Many believe that we have some degree of control over our lives, but there are also factors beyond our control that can influence our path. However, even if some things are predetermined, we still have the ability to make choices within the limits of our lives."

"Interesting. So does that mean we are completely responsible for all of our choices?"

"Not necessarily. We must take into account external factors that may limit our choices or influence our decisions. For example, someone living in poverty may not have the same opportunities as someone from a wealthy background. However, freedom of choice means that we can still make choices based on our own values and beliefs."

"I read Oedipus. He couldn't escape his destiny. He did his best, but destiny always caught up with him..."

"Just like survivors of concentration camps, war refugees from Vietnam, prisoners of the Gulag... The world doesn't give us many choices. It restricts us, imposes on us situations, good and bad, encounters, people or events. A quote that I really like is: 'Some say destiny is already written...But I say destiny is a book that one writes oneself'. I lived by this quote. The book, the chapters, the colour of the ink, and the number of pages may be already defined, but we have the pen in our hand. We can write the book, our own book."

"But you just said 'lived'? What happened then?" I ask him.

"There are several ways to think about free will or freedom. Does it really exist? Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed in the concept of natural freedom, in which individuals are born free but later become slaves to the laws and institutions of society. In contrast, Thomas Hobbes believed that individuals had to relinquish some of their freedoms to the government to ensure social order and prevent chaos. On the other hand, Immanuel Kant believed that freedom was a fundamental aspect of human nature and that individuals should be free to make their own moral choices. Friedrich Nietzsche, on the other hand, believed that true freedom was about transcending the norms and values of society and creating one's own sense of life. While they don't all agree on what freedom is, we can say 'to each their own freedom!'"