"do it. now."

man's analytical mind needs to find reasons and causes for any phenomenon in nature, in order to properly understand, analyze and interpret it. naturally, man has been trying for a long time to analyze and interpret life. it turned out to be a bit tricky, but we'll just add a bit to the whole mess.

at present there are two major theories about life that are generally accepted as valid. one of these two is the theory of fate. acknowledged a long time ago and bearing some connection to religion, this states that one's path in life is predetermined; that we are swept away by the stream of life, and there's nothing we can do to guide our journey. the downside of such a theory is it cancels free will. in turn, this usually leads to a loss of incentives for changing and/or improving life. certainly, the theory bears several important advantages. one of them is the comfort you get by knowing that there's some (hopefully) beneficial force guiding our lives. another advantage is having an explanation for every single aspect of life.

although it cannot be discarded with 100% certainty, upon closer inspection the theory does not stand. there's basically no hard evidence to support it. furthermore, whatever entity would chose to guide lives of several billion people simultaneously, would incur a terrible waste of resources with no apparent benefit. an important point to be made here is that denying fate does not mean denying religion, and i will explain. it is completely unreasonable to believe that God has endowed man with reason and free will, just to see him waste these gifts by complying with predetermined programs or fates. it makes more sense to assume that God gave man such advanced capabilities so they can be properly put to use. God really helps those who help themselves, as it is said. but that's another story.

the second widely accepted theory on life is man being the master of his own destiny. emerging in more modern times, this theory basically states that man's own actions are the sole (or perhaps the essential) factor that guides his life. in this case, advantages are once again obvious: when you're master of your own destiny, only the sky is the limit to what you can achieve; the whole world is your domain. unfortunately there's a downside: the theory is at loss to explain certain events that take place in each person's life. with this comes a certain feeling of helplessness that counterbalances the enthusiasm mentioned as an advantage. so even though the theory seems to account for a large part of life, some parts are still unaccounted for.

denying existing theories is good enough, but is there perhaps an alternative theory that makes more sense? here's a different point of view: life is random. i know it's a bit depressing, but it does make a lot of sense. it accounts for every unexplainable event in life; it still allows for control and free will, to some extent; and it does not deny religion - God just has better things to do than supervise and control several billion human beings. He just sets the rules, and waits for some of his children to make him proud.

think about it: you get a job - how random is that? do you actually have information on all existing jobs in the world, so you can make a rational decision and be in full control? that's what i thought. just send a few resumes, make a couple of phone calls and hope for the best. and maybe some hr assistant in a tiny cubicle likes that course you took three years ago in sales, and you're hired. or maybe he doesn't like your previous position, which your cousin recommended, and you don't get the job. how's that? think about this: your loved one, the love of your life, which you met one night in a bar. you went there because you got 10 minutes late to the movie rental place, and it was closed. so you decided to check out this new bar you roommate told you about. and then you meet the love of your life. how's that? you decide to take a different route to school one day, just to check out this new bookstore, and you have this nasty car accident, because someone received a phone call while driving, and did not concentrate enough. and just because you got a model LT-4 car, because there wasn't any LT-3's available, the seats are lower and you get a head injury.

anyway, that's life, really. life is not fair; it's just a string of random events. you have no way of controlling them. and there's no one else in control. that's depressing, isn't it? but there is something you can do, actually. improve your chances at getting what you want. you can never be even close to being 100% certain of anything in life; but you can try to be 60% certain, instead of 10%. improve your chances: work hard, do your research. you will never be 100% certain of anything, but you'll stand a much better chance than the average joe. that's the only thing you can do. really. go out more often and improve your chances of meeting someone hot. drive slower and improve your chances of not getting killed. still you will never be 100% certain of anything.

life is just like a computer game. you don't know all the rules, because they keep changing. you don't give a damn about anyone else in the game. to some extent, you're in charge, but anything can happen - bang! you're dead. and remember, it's a game - anything is possible, everything is allowed. really.

try hard enough and you'll master the first level. learn all the rules, practice and get better at playing. develop your own style, your own rules. at some point, start breaking all the rules. playing becomes easier and rewards are easier to get. you can stick with the first level forever, just playing it over and over again, getting even more money, or objects, or points, or whatever.

or you can try harder and reach the next level. sometimes it requires brains, it's complicated. sometimes it requires hard work. or just patience. sometimes you can cheat. but you can get to level two. new rules, you have to start over, you have to learn everything all over again. it's complicated, but it pays off. and so on, from one level to the next. and what's the point, really? it's not finishing the game, that's the sad part - you're done with it and you have to throw it away. the point is to keep on playing, to check out all the new levels, nice or ugly, good or bad, interesting or annoying.

oh, wait! isn't that what life is all about? think about it. just like a computer game, life presents enough opportunities. learn the rules. break the rules. make your own rules. master the level. and then get bored. try hard enough and go on to the next level. life is all about experience, about change, about learning, about making a difference and then moving on. it's not about all the stupid rules, regulations, directives, morals and all that shit. it's not about going to school for 12 to 18 years just to get one or more lousy jobs and work hard for the rest of your life just to make a lot of money so you can buy a lot of stuff you don't need and do a lot of stuff you don't like, just because everyone else does the same thing and we all end up dead, just the same, thinking "what the fuck was this joke all about?" in the couple of minutes before the brain gets drained of blood forever.

so you've heard this before. but you're still at your lousy job reading this. or at school. or at home waiting for that show on tv to start. why? because everything in life is about risk and return. it's like when you decide what to do with your savings. if you're like most people, you'll just put your money in the bank. you won't get too much out of it, but at least you won't lose it, right? it's the easiest thing to do and you have your peace of mind. still some people decide to put their money in the stock market. sure, they run the risk of losing part of it, but if they're smart enough, they can make a whole lot more. it's not that easy and it even requires some work. and forget that peace of mind. some people even put all of their money in some crazy idea of their own - they can lose it all, but they have a chance of getting filthy rich, if the play it right.

that's why you're not leaving your lousy job and your retarded boss, or moving to another country, or breaking up with that whining person you call your loved one, or taking that one year trip to the mountains you've always dreamed about. you just want your peace of mind. you don't want the chance of losing it all, so you will never get the chance of winning it all. it as simple as that. you're stuck in the middle of everything. and the clock is ticking.

there are no mistakes in life - just decisions that are made with the available information. the only mistake is not to make a decision. there are no rules in life - just the rules you make yourself. there is no one else in life - just yourself.

everyone can change the world. do it. now.

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