Arisa,

I too, really like the quote you used "Even if I were a puppet, my body and its actions completely controlled by some malevolent master, what I am, my mind's eye would still be free untouched".

No matter what we do according to Mr. Banach we are free in our heads and I can agree with that..

However, I can't say I agree with the whole making excuses for yourself as a way to opt out of a bad decision. Whist it is possible to make an excuse out of a act of "bad faith" isn't me making said excuse simply exercising my "Freedom" that we have "all of the time"? I think that's too shady for my taste. Despite David Banach's constant backpedaling, I do like your thoughts.

I think one's progression or lack thereof is simply why we as humans are NOT free all the time. (sorry if I keep going back to that I cant get over the freedom thoughts :) ) It is up to the person inside the external to decide how you want to act or the paths that you take. Saying that allowing a roadblock so to speak to hinder ones progression is not ok it’s not only idealistic but unrealistic.

As David said in his passage that we have to work with the cards we are dealt with and based on that you can decide to be free or not. I think that it is not only the internal mind doing any possible holding back; I think its something deeper than that.

Granted most of it is the mind trying to hold you back but maybe there is a reason that the road block is there in the first place? Now the question arises am I supposed to drive around the road block or do I close my eyes and hope it goes away? The answer to that question is something your mind and your mind alone can tell you. I feel as everything could happen for a reason so maybe your mental roadblock in the grand scheme of things going to help you achieve greatness.

Your blog made a lot of other thought come into my head and sorry if it seems jumbled... but very insightful and relatable post!

Julie,

Your blog raises a lot of questions within me. To say that it is "human nature" to long to know what we do not is not accurate in my mind. If we are all on "our islands of subjectivity" than saying human nature exists would be inaccurate right?

"One question that is constantly on my mind when I am reading Banach's writing is why do we need so much?"

I agree why do we as people want to know the answers to everything? I guess the saying ignorance is bliss doesn't sit well with people anymore. I think that there is a reason as to why we don’t know the answers to these "big" questions, it's because there isn't one.

You can’t make emotions into something tangible and objective that everyone can look at and relate to, everything is different depending on the person.

I like that you are questioning Banach's fundamentals, I also don't think there is a reason to dictate what is freedom and individuality. Who knows the answer? No one. So why does Banach constantly try to say that what he is trying to sell to us the readers as truth? What does he really know anyways? I can say what the meaning of life is and act as though my views are the truth but that does not mean that it really is.

Now that we have read more of his lecture Mr. Banach is getting on my nerves. Anyways I liked your post a lot and keep up the good writing!