Life is an endless array of chaos with the illusion we have some modicum of control over it.

Indeed, the harder we attempt to take control of the world around us, the more stressed we become at our efforts. It seems as if we are involved in a dramatic comedy with the universe wanting to be understood, having governed rules and laws about its function, but no desire to acquiesce to our commands.

This is the folly of what we call, “the rat race.”

Even those who “leave” the race are still participating in the global story of having control over their lives. We do this because we can’t imagine any other possibility at the moment.

We built an economic system and enslaved everyone to it.

Even those we consider leeches and a drag on society (willingly or otherwise) depend on a system others still believe in… including themselves. With the forthcoming automation revolution, it may not be long before many of us join their ranks.

Yet, even with the chaos that ensues, we are still presented with some options:

• Give up, succumb to nihilism and hide the emptiness of existence through acquiring stuff
• Dumb yourself down until you don’t know any better
• Realize you can still control how you see the world and how you react to it

This is our bastion of control until philosophers finally answer the free-will debate.

However, I will attest to the third option as the only one that actually gives you a true feeling of freedom.