Someone is watching…
Cassia lives in a perfect “Society: where all the decisions are made for her. She is told where to work, who to love and even when she will die. Everything is already decided for her. Sounds kind of boring, at least to me. Where is the chance to try new things, make mistakes and learn from them.
But is the world we live in any different? To a certain extent paren'ts, teachers, bosses and friends have a significant influence on or lives and what we do. But at the same time we have the choice to decide what to do. Or do we? Does media, peer pressure or family expectations erode people’s free will?
So what is you take on the subject. Would you rather live in a place where there is no free will and everything is predetermined for you? Or would you prefer a place where people are free to make their own choices?
17 thoughts on “Someone is watching…”
I don’t think I’d want someone to determine every aspect of my life, including death, but there are a few lessons I wish I could have avoided learning the hard way – through choosing what I wanted rather than listening to paren’ts, friends, etc.
I read the book, and I hated the fact that the “Society” had to make every decision for the people… I found it very frustrating, and felt glad that I don’t have to live in Cassia’s dystopian world…
Fans of “The Giver” would like this book 🙂
After reading the summary, I thought of “The Giver” as well. The two books do sound rather similar, though I think I should read this book before judging. 🙂
I don’t care, I want a life of free will. How will I learn if I don’t make my own decisions? Wisdom doesn’t come from following a path, it comes from making the path. I would rather die than live in a world where I have no choice in what I want to be or am. Every single hard or good thing that has happened in my life has shaped or changed me, making me, “me”. Even if paren’ts, society, or media influences my choice, in the end, it is still my choice to make, and I would not let someone else make it for me.
I’ve read countless stories of dystopian worlds, such as The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Truesight by David Stahler Jr.and many more, and each and every time, the protagonist always wishes to escape because they have no desire to be the way they are, or not have the choice to choose who they are. That is the way that I would feel, no matter how hard a decision I have to make, no matter what sacrifices must be done.
I wouldn’t want to have all my decisions made for me; our paren’ts, although they can chastise our decisions, they can’t make the decisions for us. All they can do is influence, as long as we have strong morals and a set path to our destination. So yeah, I’d rather have a place with democracy…
Or free will as you said.
Well put Cindu, ” Wisdom doesn’t come from following a path,it comes from making a path.”
That “life” sounds very uncomfortable but I think that I can’t understand that kind of situation unless I live in it. I should read the book before judging it though!!
Thank you! >/////< That's why it often irks me when people just let things that restrict their free will happen, especially when they could prevent or fight against it before it is too late. Too often, we have let ourselves delude that things will change without influencing the change ourselves. I'm sounding too much like a rebel here, but it's what I feel whenever I see a book that has been desecrated because someone believes it to be too adult or wrong for the age group. I remember reading manga in the library and seeing panels cut or blacked out, and knowing that the last time I read it, it wasn't like that. I hate seeing such censorship happen in a place that is meant to spread knowledge. Heck, I hate seeing censorship anywhere, and what else is censorship but another method of restricting the free will to read whatever you like?
I think that you can never have COMPLETE free will, some aspects will always shape what you do.
I think having as much free will, in other words choices of your own to make is great. but you see sometimes it’s the choices that you yourself make that predetermine some aspects of your life
for example, if you smoke or drink a lot your life span just shortened, but that choice was yours.
i really want to read this book but i’m not sure if i’ll be a fan of it…I’m not one for dystopian books but i’m reading wither by Lauren DeStefano right now so maybe i’ll like matched because they sound similar
Definitely living in a world of free will. What is the meaning of life is everything is all pre-set for you. Life is a road full of learning, taking chances, making mistakes, learning and discovering. With out all those accepts you won’t be living, you’ll just be a dead body. Is this a book or something, because i really like this plot.
as much as a ‘free world’ may be nice for a week or two…sooner or later, we all need rulers,paren’ts,law enforcement, and such to tell us what to do. think about it.. no rules, do whatever you want..you want to kill someone, go ahead. you want to rob a bank, go for it, but eventually (without rules/laws) people would be dying left and right; and no one wants that.
so predetermined with laws, rules, enforcers FTW!
(although SOME freedom would be nice)
Would it even be possible to create a place where there is no free will and everything is predetermined for you? Assuming that beings with a mind exist there, it seems like quite a task to create such a world.
There are historical (and I suppose, current) examples where certain outside factors can go as far as to dictate our choices. However, I would think that we choose to follow standards and advice and the norm etc. for practical reasons, and as long as we have a mind, all we need to do is use it and we’ll be able to make choices.
LOL WHO WANTS TO BE BOSSED AROUND ALL DAY…
I wouldn’t want someone to determine every aspect of my life,but in the life we live in now I do get told what to do.People do try and tell us what to read and what to wear.
I think that we have a balance.
I’d feel really isolated and taken over if my paren’ts took all my freedom from me. I guess in a way we need the free stuff and everyone-for-themselves decisions. But then again if we did that, most of us would make the wrong choice as we are still young and will regret that they didn’t take their paren’ts’, paren’t’s or guardian’s advice. So I guess something too much will cause a problem in the rule of balance.
But I guess you’d choose to be free. I would to!
wow I don’t know I hate making decisions on my own, but having everything decided is scary
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