BLURRED LINES

The idea of options is a system-designed phenomenon to keep unassuming individuals within the box of a carefully designed idea. Call it society - or any construct, at all.

Constructs can either be carefully or unconsciously designed. For example, schools are carefully designed construct hence, you’d need to pass your 4th grade exams to move to the fifth grade. Every option within isn’t necessarily yours. Whereas, the structure in your home may be unconsciously designed where overtime, you learn that daddy just does things a certain way and you have to do same without any prior education.

Society as we know it is both carefully and unconsciously designed. Look at how weddings are done for example, church weddings are usually carefully designed whereas wedding receptions are unconsciously designed - a bride could develop a fantasy about her dream wedding based off ideals that she has seen consistently and another bride would simply be told; “that’s how it is done”.

In most cases though, the evolution of church weddings is first unconsciously designed before it is carefully designed. That is, a pastor can scan from what exists and mirror same format into the wedding procession.

So we go from inquiry to imitation without innovation.

It begs this question - are your desires truly yours? Or have you been schooled to think that’s all that is permissible?

Are these desires a product of a conscious choice not narratives you’ve been sold to and compelled to accept?

The idea is this - whether you like it or not, narratives are formed that create options. It is arrogant to think you are always in control of those narratives or options.

You can be so drawn into an idea that you become the billboard for that idea such that, when you need to exert your free will in picking an option, it would be dumb to think your free will is a real thing.

How do you form your opinion about a person? You assume based on the narrative they create. It is why we speak so loudly about perception because we are all defaulted to judge and form truth based on a narrative presented to us about a person.

How do you lend your voice to issues on the internet? Assumption based on the narratives presented. The person who gets your vote of confidence is usually the best storyteller in the circus, playing into your idea of morality.

Or do we speak of how you copy other people’s work and systems? Assumption based on what you think, formed via narratives presented. You think to yourself, it could be the colors or fonts or making videos; creating options based on your experience with what you see —as opposed to the full functionality of what powers their system. Tragic.

We do not often know the truth about a thing. Instead, we assume based on our engagement and experience with the truth.

Assumption is the easiest thing to do and, what’s even easier? acceptance without inquiry. This is how constructs are formed that defines options except of course, you decide to create your odds.

In life, you must recognize that everything is mind - a canvas with different actors documenting their various ideas & perspectives, and communicating their version of reality. These actors, unbeknownst to you are storing their ideas and concepts in your mind while you attempt to make sense of them which then forms your philosophy and worldview.

Nietzsche argued in his work, “The Genealogy Of Morals” that morality is not an objective truth but rather a product of individual interpretation and societal influences. Hence, like the image below - our philosophy is defined by ideas and perspectives which we interpret using stories.

Flip side is, what’s the context of both perspectives?

Who are the actors creating the scenes? And what is their end game?

It is why you’d fall in love with lucifer in the movie “Lucifer” yet detest Thanus in the “End Game”.

Do you see the mind of things and our role in it?

When you transfer this into your life and work, these ideas become ideals. Actors actively creating stories and linking their diverse relative truths to this canvas while you form your view from the subjectivity as absolute.

You get into a new work environment and everyone speaks to you about a certain colleague; even when you choose to befriend that colleague without judgement, you’d find that their imperfections become the very object that confirms the narrative you’ve been sold.

Narratives are not truth. They are ideas that become reality or ideals. Ideals are birthed from ideas that become accepted without question.

Narratives are not designed to be 100% false rather, skewed to exaggerate the already existing falsehood in the minds of its target. Narratives are intentioned towards the weakness of the human mind to pay attention and form their own opinions based on accurate data.

Narratives are curated to introduce seductive options to its audience with the illusion of choice. This is why you’d argue Facebook is better than Instagram..who and what does that serve? What’s the endgame?

Are your narratives yours?

The seeming consistency of a supposed truth; Is it indeed a truth or have you accepted as truth based on un-investigated thoughts and patterns? Or an idea that has become a narrative?

Do you consider yourself a procrastinator for instance because that’s the narrative you’ve internalized consistently? Thus, giving perspective to certain patterns in your life?

Paying attention to patterns is great however, in cases where an external event causes you to pay attention to a pattern - never be quick to label that narrative as truth. Instead, gather as an information to be leveraged.

It’s same with counsel..we often expect to receive the blueprint for our next step whereas, the idea should be to receive the clarity or perspective to form your narrative and options.

It is what you choose to believe, you indeed believe. We just happen to act like they we do not have a choice in belief. You do.

You do not have a choice in truth but you do have in choice in belief. If your truth is identification as a cat, I do not have a choice in determining that truth however, I do have a choice in believing.

How we make sense of the world is through relativity and attachment hence, it’s almost impossible to not take on narratives.

The question is - How can you own your narratives and be in control of your options?

Be. Like. Water.

The arrogance of information is such that it can make you over-confident in not just what you think but how you think. Usually, people like this are the most endangered; caught in a web of their own opinions and ignorant of the possibilities that abound to create the outcome that they desire.

You assume understanding of the interplay in a person’s work, failing to realize the nuances involved and subjecting yourself to a streamlined pool of options. This or That.

Why should it be this or that? Why not, this and that?

That’s first-level thinking if you decide you want to control your options.

Seek to find the blurred lines and exploit to your advantage.

In life, you must be skilled in negotiating your outcomes by cultivating a willingness to go against the grain and create your options to give yourself an advantage.

How many people are stuck in their businesses because of philosophies developed by attention to diverse actors communicating their various “truths” about that business?

I mean, you can almost always find a relevant quote for any season of wisdom or stupidity you come into to further justify the brilliance or dumbness of your line of thought.

Be like water.. Understand that regardless of the truth communicated, very few are absolute - others are relative. There are blurred lines. The irony is we make relative truth absolute forgetting that we almost never know THE TRUTH about a thing, we simply assume based on our experience with the truth.

It is the perception of me that you see online that affords you perspective on who I am. You’d be wrong to think that’s all of me…dangerously wrong.

You must be intelligent enough to pay attention to the blurred lines; the system that exists within a system and the idea that is present within an idea. That is how you can control your options and own your narratives.

Life is non-binary. It’s not one or the other. The genius is skilled in seeing beyond the obvious, paying attention to blurred lines, attentive to actors + their narratives and from the pool of data, create their own narratives and options.

That’s what it means to be genius. To curate your own meal plan, define your plot and create your odds.

Think before you cement understanding.

In a world where you can be anything, Be Genius.

- Faith Ohio

Writer | Speaker | Thinker

www.faithohio.com