Today is my second day on tinder. I have come to learn some things about what I think of dating in this way. For instance, I am reinforced in my opinion that dating begins almost entirely by visual attraction. It is too apparent as well that I have my preferences. Again, I wonder how truly I adhere to the things I say about destiny and its place in my system of para-beliefs. I shan't be cryptic, what I mean is that I wonder if it is time to make something of my own destiny. I also wonder if I am actually as handsome as I think I am. Do not be mistaken, I think it no great loss if I am no good looking man. I mean that it would be some relief to know exactly what a reasonable representation of the public might think of my appearance. And so on. This mode is thus interesting in itself, whatever else it may lead to.
But the true purpose of this post is this. One of the girls had in her profile this question, which asked what one thing I would change about my life if I had the power to do so. This is an excellent question and it led me to, after considering her appearance, "like" it as well.
To my mind I am absolutely certain that this extraordinary power could be ably put to right any number of the myriad things I think insufficient or hapless in my life. Any number. And I can think up such an esteemed list without serious effort. Such a list would contain the shallow as easily and as naturally it would the significant. I could be half a foot taller and be an absolutely devastating sportsman. I could never have lost the first love of my life. I could live in a beautiful family. I could have stayed at my old firm as the bosses' favourite. All these are wonderful things. But the philosopher in me would revolt.
And philosophy is love of knowledge. Philo-soph-y, exactly. This may seem too abstract and far removed from wanting to change something unpleasant in one's life, but the distance is only in the distinction (and the consequent derivation) between principle and act-decision. The classic teacher Socrates would say that every effort should be made towards only the search for wisdom, and so let come the vissicitudes what may. The existentialists would say that life is too absurd to take so seriously, and so one would do better to consider one's given position and thus also how one understood life to have meaning, crucially, quite apart from the whims and prevarications of life's provision. So that would be, very briefly, a sufficient mention of philosophy. How then could I insist on any of the things I have listed, and many more besides those?
Of course, I might make some purely altruistic use of the power, and even nobly. But I am doubtful whether even then it would be correct to do so. After all, the question is interesting only in so far as it it concerned with what I might change in my life. And in principle I think I ought not wish for anything to change in my life. It would be cowardly to do so, I think. In every sense. And if anything, I refuse to admit this cowardice.
So the truth is that my life is sufficient to me, at least in the account that I have thus given. Accordingly, any such power given to me must be used and have effect only towards the lives of others. And only with their consent, surely.
Ok. Seriousness aside, the one thing I would like to have changed in my life is this. I have always thought that I would love to have been born in 1955. And my being born in 1987 gives me no great advantage over being born in the earlier time. Imagine all the great music I've missed! Oh! And so I wish for the life of me that I could have been born in 1955 and thus have caught all the wonderful music produced in the late 60s and the golden, golden 70s. Oh lord! What I wouldn't give!
