rancha.xyz Be free to choose their own route to self-knowledge, health and balance of body and soul.
The title of this article alludes to the famous quote by the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset: very briefly, he thought that the union of “I” and circumstance is inseparable, that it is impossible to understand one without the other. So, in general, the result of our decisions is linked to us or to our most stable part, but also to the peculiarities of the time and place.
For this reason, when the philosopher stated that “I am I and my circumstance; if I don’t save her, I won’t save myself”, referred to the strength of this union, the one that exists between who we are and what surrounds us. That is, our own habitat in which we find limitations and freedoms and in which we can decide between different options to move forward.
Circum-stancia: “what exists around”
The word circumstance involves a much broader frame than we usually think: the family, society, culture, a particular body with its physical and psychological characteristics, personality and character, etc. The “I” is formed by understanding your circumstance and giving you an explanation united to those of others.
This circumstance is flexible and moldable in many ways: once we accept what is around us, we have the freedom to focus decisions towards a present that fulfills us and a future that will enrich us. Will I be happy if I do it like this and not like this? What would have happened if I hadn’t done it the way I did it?
In this way, our experiences are configured and our actions turn towards the interests, desires and dreams we have. At that moment, circumstances and decisions define us and place us in front of the world and in relation to others.
The positive and negative side of circumstances
Circumstances are not perfect and we do not always have the right environment for everything to go as we would like: sometimes we have to decide with millions of adversities and in others it is as if everything flows and the decision becomes clear. However, in either case, we will end up deciding and saving our own circumstance.
In this sense, we know that we have good and bad times and that they are equally necessary for us to feel stability: it is good to remember that joy and sadness travel on the same train. Even when fear or sadness blocks us and makes it difficult for us to move, we are obliged to continue: not even deciding is making a decision.
Decision is also not taking it
Any situation, stage or moment we live in involves making decisions and we are its product: from having a coffee in the middle of the afternoon until the time we set the alarm clock to wake up. These seem like insignificant actions and yet they can mark us for the rest of the day.
The same thing happens with decisions that we think are important: it is not good to postpone the moment to make them, but it is appropriate to ask the correct questions, give yourself the necessary answers and be brave to face them: accept the responsibilities and knowing whether to listen are two important keys.
Only when we have clear goals and are sure that we want to achieve them will we have the conviction that no one will make the decision for us: we can make mistakes and that’s okay, but there will be the satisfaction of being the owners of our mistakes. In a way, the beautiful has to do with the absence of a script that points in the right direction.
