Do you believe in Fate or Free Will? Or perhaps something slightly different? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the same is true for art. It’s a completely subjective experience. Far be it from me to tell you what I think, rather we can explore what our latest single ‘Control’ is all about together, as these things have a way of forming out of the aether.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Fritz Lang, creator of 1930 sci-fi film Metropolis, who was permeated with the idea of industrialization in his time? If you haven’t watched this film, I highly recommend it. Similarly to Lang’s time, our current experience is one which is becoming increasingly technological at staggering speeds. We don’t exist only in an atmosphere, rather we exist simultaneously in the Technosphere. Techno music you say, Berghain sounds pretty fun right about now? But what is this Technosphere? Let’s further dive down the rabbit hole.
Consider the reality around us: a giant environment, ecosystem, a society and civilization where we interact. Our world is increasingly becoming curated. From inception into this world, our viewpoints are shaped, our lens refined, our conditions manufactured, and our sense of self is reinforced.
The question emerged, do you make your own choices or are you somehow guided by external forces - manipulated, controlled? This curated stream of content that so benevolently superimposes itself into our mental sphere has an agenda. In our longing for greater comforts, security, and convenience, we are interacting with a new kind of awareness, one that is studying our every behavior: collecting, collating, cataloging, and curating our coexistence.
Choice or Destiny?
You know you are in control of your own thoughts and decisions, right? Choice is a funny thing though as it relies on the idea of being offered a choice. Something has to create that initial offer - a platform from which it is served, both figuratively and literally. Perhaps that’s an aspiration in life, or a goal. Perhaps it’s a way of being that is opposite of how you were raised, rebelling against a system of perceived control, or maybe you begin to see the similarities in yourself of your parents. It occurred, choices are made based on a code - beliefs, motivations, desires, reactions, a belief in how the world should work. For example, there should be justice, because something isn’t fair. From a belief like this you can discover how a whole society has been fashioned. Exploring the mechanisms of what drives our behaviors is the essence of this song ‘Control.’ Similarly the rhythm wanted to feel as though you were on a conveyor belt, mechanized, on your journey through life, taking different twists and turns and being exposed to different ideas, thoughts, beliefs and challenges which shape the current you. Listening a bit deeper to what message therein might lie could uncover other treasures for the listener intent on discovery.
Destiny, on the other hand, relies on the choice you make to believe in a pre-destined outcome, whatever way that may manifest by action, in action, cosmic flow, or some other unseen factor. The difficult thing here is knowing what to measure, when to measure it, and if that adds up to your idea of what destiny is. Perhaps it’s a blend of both. Perhaps it’s something completely different. I choose to believe it’s a combination, a kind of divine cosmic play, a playground if you will, where we discover who we are at different points along the journey.
But what about you? “You'll remember you don't believe in any of this fate crap. You're in control of your own life, remember? Now take a cookie :)” - The Oracle