Paradox

Jul 7, 2010 by Chubs    2 Comments    Posted under: Realizations, The Daily Grind

I’ve never wanted to write about Philosophical stuff on this blog. But lately, I’ve been facing philosophical conundrums left and right and facing the inevitable truth of life which blatantly stares me down everyday I just had to oblige. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud that I am a philosophy major and yet somehow because of the drudgeries of life, I evolved into thinking that the very essence of Philosophy was to understand that which that needed to be understood. But getting lost and drowning in the jargon and legalese of which Philosophical discussions tend to take, I took an oath, nay a promise, to try and explain things in the most common way possible. But somehow that poetic and philosophical side of me, who grew up thinking the way its suppose to be written and thought of, writing essays for Philosophical professors to read, speaking in the manner the way I do in order to seem intelligible, but doing so with so much elegance so as to seem effortless yearns to bust out every now and then. But then reality slaps my face via the empty stares, the occasional snicker, and the inevitable comment which was has grown so rampant in our culture known as “nosebleed” represses my inner philosopher.

But I digress.

I’ve recently spent some time reflecting about some aspects of my life and how it relates to the decisions I make. A reflection more oriented towards the self so maybe I should call it introspection, but again I mumble and digress. Spending all that time travelling to and from work without the need to focus on driving (I’ve been taking cabs) lends to a lot of thinking time usually spent with just me, myself and I. I was browsing some books as I waited for my copy of The Idea Book (yes I bought that!), when I chanced upon a book the title of which escapes me right now. But on the cover or rather on the blurb usually found at the backside of the jackets, I saw a curious statement which I last saw in college: “What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?” I stopped dead in my tracks and took maybe 5 minutes to ponder this paradox and see what kind of reaction I would come up with. The different personalities swimming in my head (yes I think I am an undiagnosed schizophrenic) had different answers. I last saw this in the Philosophy of Religion or maybe it was Modern Philosophy with regard to St. Anselms theory or rather proof on the existence of God? I can’t quite seem to put my finger on it. But being thrust and immersed in the “real world” this paradox has taken on a different form. It no longer belongs only in the realm of intellectual masturbation (if you snicker or find yourself smirking on the last remark then maybe you shouldn’t be reading this entry eh?) but rather a more practical application. The philosophical tone by which this paradox exists relates to God or rather some supreme being’s omnipotence. (Can God create a stone so heavy it cannot be lifted, not even by God Himself?) There exists 2 premises by which one or the other relies on the truth or rather falseness of the other premise. Barring any physical limitation, logic dictates that one cannot be true if the other true. An exercise of logic in itself is a thing of beauty. Relating to real life, I do not presume I am God, but metaphorically speaking I am the irresistible force. I cannot be stopped. This is how you view yourself. How I view myself. But then there comes an immovable object. Maybe a bad practice, an illogical person, or maybe even just society and life in general. What then happens when the two collide? Again, the basic logical premise or rather paradox rises. Either may be true, but both cannot be True the same time. It could be that, you were never irresistible in the first place. Or the object is not entirely immovable. Armed with this realization, you must then proceed with caution in discovering the true answer. Either way, you come up with a paradigm shift. Shall you realize that you are an irresistible force, what then would you do or not do or rather change? Would you temper your decisions? Or plow on, headstrong, in life and in everything else? Or rather the more shattering realization, what if you are not irresistible and the wall or object is indeed immovable? Do you give up? Do you change? Do you stop pushing? Maybe it then boils down to a test of character, mental fortitude, and moral fiber?

At the end of the day, whether you are irresistible or there really exists immovable objects are irrelevant. How so? I say they are irrelevant because it all boils down to choice. You choose how to react or rather act upon this realization. Yes a paradox may exist and does exist, but then how exactly do you get past it? Logic always wins.

So go become an irresistible force.

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