thoughts, words, deeds

the ground on which I stand

Prompt: Is opportunity something that happens or comes to you on its own or is it something you can create for yourself? If both, which one applies more to your life?

I don’t like either/or questions. Too often, the answer is yes (or no)—and I think that’s the case here. Yes. Opportunity happens. It comes to you on its own. It is created as you act to obtain it.

I’m not sure that we can divorce those strands of human experience—the actions of the people around us and happenstance which offers opportunities through the movements of the world around us occur—but also, our own actions affect the shape of the world to provide opportunities. So, it’s not a simple question. None of us live in a vacuum. We all shape opportunities and are shaped by others actions which provide opportunity.

Also, consider that opportunity is a strange word to use—the choices that we make, the decision points in life which are where the seeds of opportunity occur are not necessarily always beneficent. Just as often, an opportunity arises for something to happen in our life that leads to sorrow or heartache or pain as arises opportunity for fortune.

So, my answer is both, and that I can’t find it inside me to differentiate between those two originations of opportunity. I live in a world where I make choices, but those choices are always influenced (and influence) the choices of the people around me, and I believe in free will too much to deny that both of those impulses have created places for me to go, opportunities for good or ill in my life.