It’s a pointless question. What’s done cannot be undone. The moving finger writes, and having writ... But there’s another, less easily comprehended reason.
We come to our decisions, we make our choices, and we take our actions. Once we put them into effect, all other possibilities cease to exist. And if they don’t exist now, maybe they never did. Not only is there no such thing as the road not travelled, there never was. So holds the doctrine of Determinism, which I happen to find compelling.
But we’re human, aren’t we? We can’t help wondering; it’s in our makeup. And wondering whether the road not travelled might have been a better one can leave us feeling quite desolate at times, however pointless we know the question to be.
2 comments:
Philosophy is not my strong point, but I like the idea of the road not travelled, it intrigues me. And it's a great poem. But nothing is so absolute I think. We make decisions, things happen, then other things happen and often we come to that road again at a new intersection and decide to take it, when it's the right time to. I hope your decision was a good one, but things are always in flux, so fear not..
Good morning, just drinking my coffee while visiting here and there. Hope I don't sound too incoherent.
I gather Determinism is considered old hat now, if not actually discredited, and I don't know why. It makes perfect sense to me. People think it denies free will, but of course it doesn't. It simply claims that free will is subject to the law of cause and effect like everything else.
You incoherent, Della! Perish the thought! I was drinking coffee whilst reading, as it happens. Only I was bit later 'cos I didn't get to bed until 4.30.
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