"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice..."

What a crummy day to be running a day behind on the Ocho-rific Song o the Day!

I never did get this song posted yesterday, so I'm backposting it for 11:59pm :) ...
I chose it because of a Facebook status message on the page of a friend.  I may revisit this and update it on Saturday because I DO have a LOT to say on the topic of FREEWILL! :)  


The perplexation of my friend, however ... was, "When you have to make a choice and you don't make it, that itself is a choice, right?" 

I have no idea what the friend was pondering about, but regardless of what it was ... the answer is yes. 

This:: "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice..." is one of the very few constant and true things in the world that will not change.

A random example from the nucleus of my noggin for my friend .... (you're gonna wish you drank java when you try to hash this out! :) ... you're welcome!!)

Okay .... take for example my inner struggle on decision making.  I am terrible at making decisions and I cause myself to procrastinate on a lot of things ... some very important, because of that. 

So that we can look at it more clearly, I'll put it on the level of something relatively unimportant.

Let's say it's 12:15am and I've run out of ciggies.  I get my keys and other traveling accoutrements and head for the door.  As I reach for the door, my brain processes "leaving in the middle of the night for ciggies.  It then sends little "things" (probably neurons or protons or something like that) zipping all around my brain to determine if this action is okay with my logical side.

While this zippy little neuron is traveling to the part of the brain which matters, it passes my dad sitting in his recliner, peeping over his glasses as he says; "A person doesn't need to be out past midnight unless it's an emergency...anything you oughta be doin' can be done before midnight". (to me, this is a semi-emergency)

The zippy little neuron then speeds along as it passes my Mom saying, "Now would be a good time to quit....", (I'm not going to quit tonight) ....

It zips past a TV screen with A&E's Bill Curtis saying, "Family and friends assume from the condition of her apartment that she must have run out for a pack of ciggies....", although I'm sure that Bill Curtis would never say "ciggies".  THEN, it zips past Ellis standing in the living room of the apartment formerly known as Flawn Ocho and he says, "Single is great!! You're gonna love it!! If you need something at 3am, you get in the car, go to Walmart and get it!".

I then grab my keys, make sure I have my mace and go get my ciggies :)

That example is a little extreme of course.  But when I first lived out on my own, it wasn't far from the truth.
The point, if you choose not to decide; you still have made a choice. 
I've learned that the hard way on many occasions.

::added after the post 8/28/10-1:19pm::
AND, had I decided not to go out for the ciggies, I would have essentially been deciding that my decision making skills for myself were not as good as the decision making skills of others on my behalf....
and when I decide that, you'd better grab your coat; because H*ll has officially frozen over.  =)

Freewill - Rush

1980

From SongMeanings.net

There are those who think that life is nothing left to chance,

A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings,

We dance on the strings

Of powers we cannot conceive.

"The stars aren't aligned

Or the gods are malign"-

Blame is better to give than receive.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.

If you choose not to decide, you still haven't made a choice

.

You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;

I will choose a path that's clear-

I will choose Free Will.

There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand,

The cards were stacked against them- they weren't born in lotus-land.

All preordained-

A prisoner in chains-

A victim of venomous fate.

Kicked in the face,

You can't pray for a place

In heaven's unearthly estate.


You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.

If you choose not to decide, you still haven't made a choice.


You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;

I will choose a path that's clear-
I will choose Free Will.

Each of us-

A cell of awareness-

Imperfect and incomplete.

Genetic blends

With uncertain ends

On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still haven't made a choice.

You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;

I will choose a path that's clear-
I will choose Free Will.

from SongFacts.com

Geddy Lee (Rockline, Dec 4 1989):
"The song is about freedom of choice and free will, and you believing in what you decide you believe in."

The lyric, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice" was originally written "If you choose not to decide, you cannot have made a choice," but was later changed to make more sense logically.
(thanks, Matthew Daubert - Mequon, WI)

The Permanent Waves album marked the band's transition from epic length tracks to more compact songs, generating increases in both radio airplay and album sales. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

RUSH FAQ - Lots of interesting tidbits about RUSH!

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Until next time ...
have a grand and groovy day!!

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