Do Consequences Really Matter?

More importantly, does anything really matter?

That was the title I initially had in mind for this article. But then, the word ‘consequence’ gives a lot of people pause, so I decided to go for it instead. So, do consequences matter? I mean, they’re real and all, but does it matter whether you end up “monetarily” broke and alone, as opposed to rich and connected? Does it matter whether you end up with the love of your life, as opposed to being with a trophy spouse? If so, why?

‘Practical’ and ‘obvious’ reasons aside, of course, why?

Yes, you’ll suffer terribly if you’re broke and all, but that’s within the context of society. That is, if you decide that the way everyone else lives i.e. through monetary exchange, corporate gigs, material gratification, and so on, is the only way to live. But then we’ve all heard of people who’ve turned their backs on conventional ways of living; we’ve seen videos on social media of people who, on their own and with very little financial capital, have built perfectly livable and aesthetically pleasing houses of wood; bypassing entirely, the need to buy land or collect permits from the government. So, does being broke, ignoring the context of modern society, really matter?

I’m not suggesting anything here; I’m just wondering out loud. Wondering if any of the things we’ve been taught to value, are true and in turn, have any merit, and in turn matter at all.

Why is being happy better than being sad? Are you really obliged to care about your family? Why is pleasure better than pain? Why is irresponsibility worse than responsibility? Why is chaos worse than order? And ultimately, why is being alive better than being dead? Who decides these things?

Think about it.

For most of us, huge portions of the thing we call our lives, aren’t even up to us. You don’t choose where you’re born, who your parents are, what traits you inherit and so on. Even the thing you have some control over; your human nature, isn’t fully in your grasp. Most of us are really just bundles of paradigms, habits and beliefs, that have been unconsciously installed in our psyches from birth. And even when an individual decides to be conscious about who he’s becoming, he finds that he can only curate, and not create, himself. He can only choose from the pre-existing options put in place by the powers that be, whatever they are.

So, why do we, seeing how limited we actually are in knowledge, think we know what actually matters? Why do we think being good is better than being bad? Why do we think we have to be practical? Why do we think life is a hero’s journey? Again, I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just wondering out loud.

Why do we take ourselves and our beliefs so seriously, when on observation, there’s so much we don’t know about this world we live in? How do we know that what we think matters, actually matters? How do we know that our values haven’t been decided by the powers that be? How do we know we aren’t puppets on strings?

Then again, does it matter if we do, or don’t, know? Does anything really matter? Peace.

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