Bootstraps.

I am really only interested in myself, in my journey and the journey of those I love. I'm getting to the point where I am admitting my libertarianism. I want to be free to do what I want all the time. I want my money to be MINE. It's not fair that a family of four with only one member working gets several THOUSANDS of dollars back from taxes, when my husband and I get less than a thousand when we both work and have 5 dependents (two ferrets, two dogs, and a cat). Our dependents don't matter to the government and our lives are worth less of the MONEY WE MADE because we aren't breeders (I mean no offense to those with child...though I won't be propagating, I understand the species needs to continue. I like humanity.). My money should remain mine. However, I believe in funding libraries and parks and roads in a mandatory way, I don't think we should fund other human beings we don't know. It simply isn't fair that I work and make about the same as a person who refuses to work and gets disability.

I'm getting ranty, but really, I don't understand why more people don't admit that they feel the same. Why would I care about some random homeless person? I don't know this person's situation...perhaps if I did, my feelings would change and if I bonded with said person, I might CHOOSE to help them if it was within my power to do so and if I felt that helping them HELPED them to help themselves. It's not my problem if someone I don't know has no job and no home. Who has the energy to care about every starving stranger on the planet? Really?

I believe in freedom. I believe in taking responsibility for your own life. And if you choose your destiny, you should get to use the fruits of that self-made destiny for whatever you want. If a native from another country, for some weird reason, wants to live in America, let them. If a person wants to live on the streets and drink a lot, let them do it. Perhaps they're not as unhappy as we think they are. And if they are: not my problem.

Consenting adults should get to choose all aspects of their lives. The only people that should be limited are those that take choices away from others. Jail is not for people that imbibe substances or enable others to do so. Consenting adults can alter their consciousness if they want. What do you care?

Marry who you want.
Live where you want.
Dress how you want.
Spend your earned money on what you want.

FREEDOM.

There are a lot of ways I don't want to live my life, so I simply don't make the choices that would lead me to an unwanted life. Live and let live, man.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Choices

Episode 53 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
airdate: 4 May 1999.

Off the top of my head, I can't remember which episode this is, but I have always really enjoyed the concept of choice. It was one of the main themes that drew me to the mythology of "The Matrix" and I really enjoy when pop culture symbolism harkens back to the reality that everything we do in life is our choice. No one is forcing your hand. You do as you wish and the consequences/rewards follow, NOT the other way around. There's nothing more intolerable than people who think life happens TO them. If you are a person that tends to blame fate or thank God, give YOURSELF a little credit once in awhile.

Now, let's begin. The Mayor is giving Faith a beautiful knife in the opening scene. Buffy and Angel are killing vampires and wondering if they're in a "rut" in their relationship. Credits.

Buffy thinks that she can't go to college 'cause of being the Slayer. Faith is reaping the rewards of her choice to align herself with the Mayor with her new knife and the doting he places upon her. Xander is choosing to forego school to get "On the Road" like Kerouac. Cordelia is being mean as per usual. Buffy has decided to stop waiting for the Mayor to make his move and go on the offensive. Faith kills another human (I think he was human).

Willow is wearing a velvety witchy dress. Xander sees Cordelia working in a boutique which is a big deal because Cordelia shouldn't have to work because her daddy is rich. Intrigue?

Angel and Buffy are nice in a rut. They work well together fightin' evil...like a choreographed dance. Oh no, Faith has Willow captive. Everyone is fighting over the choice to trade back the thing the Mayor wants for Willow or, as Wesley wants, NOT trade and possibly sacrifice Willow. Everyone is yelling and arguing and Oz walks up and throws a pot, shattering it against a wall. He has made his point.

Willow kills a vampire by levitating and then staking him with a pencil. Cool. She then escapes and finds the Books of Ascension. Faith finds her and Willow gives her a rousing speech about how she could have made a better choice. She was also a little TOO insulting, but hey that's the innate meanness of Willow.

When they all meet up with the Mayor makes a rousing speech about how Buffy and Angel are doomed. He, like Spike did earlier this season, says a lot of very insightful things. Like how dismal their future will be. "You're immortal, she's not." Just as they're making the trade, Snyder shows up and ruins everything, opening the box and unleashing the contents; ew, a huge spider. Turns out there are 50 billion in the box and the Mayor has to eat them all. Ew.

Willow has chosen to stay in Sunnydale to go to school.