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“I control nothing, but I can do anything.”

That’s the thesis statement that we’re interrogating right now in Letters to You. You can read the first part of our conversation here.

We live in interesting times, friends. Last time I noted seven large-scale factors by which, we’re increasingly aware, our lives are determined. We may try to engage in self-determination, but whatever we can muster ourselves may not stand up to what is done to and upon us by a) genetics, b) upbringing, c) diet, d) climate change, e) oppression, f) trauma, and g) economics. (And before I get hot taked, please go back and read my previous post for context and reflection about these forces.)

And yet. More than in any culture previously in world history, we’re bombarded with messages, slogans, and storylines that tell us that we can do anything we want to do and be anything we want to be.

Which in itself can serve as constructive and healthy advice, especially if one has faced oppression, for instance. At the same time, however, we seem to have removed any bumper guards of reasonable expectations from the “be anything” mantra to the extent that if we’re not careful, we’re liable to give our young people a deep sense of vertigo by way of unreasonable expectations. To pair with the seven macro factors that minimize our own ability to control our lives, let’s consider these seven ways in which, more than ever, we can be anything:
— Bodily. Cosmetically and otherwise. More and more, we’re entering an era of a technologized self, Orphan Black-style.
— In our entertainment choices. Whether media or otherwise, any kind of fun we’d possibly want to have should by rights be always available at our fingertips. (And hellooo, snowballing virtual reality capability! For a dubious take on the same, I recommend this piece by Paul Murray.)
— Vocationally. I should never have let people tell me that I didn’t have what it takes to be a top jockey!
— In our identity. It’s all up to you to construct whoever you are at a given time.
— Sexually. Every urge is a good one.
— With our friends and community. Are friends or family members bumming you out? Drop them and get some new ones.
— Locationally. The world is your oyster.

As with my previous set of sevens, each of these categories deserve far more nuance than what a listicle allows. And of course, we’re talking pendulum swings here. If in other generations, centuries, and parts of the world, people were sadly limited in their optionality, we’ve flung ourselves now far onto the other side of the spectrum.

So where are we left, between what we’re told we can’t, and can do? Well, we freak out in various ways. See ya next week for symptoms stemming from such cognitive dissonance.

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