You Can't Choose Who To Love(Billy Sample) Lately I've been thinking about the process of life. Asking questions to the tune of what ifs, why didn't I, what did I think would happen and why did I make that choice. It's a mind set that I'm sure is not unique to me, in fact I know that many others right now as I write this are processing these same thoughts. The ability to make the right choice is a human trait, or fault, that has baffled us for ages. Would life be easier and simpler if we did not have to choose?

When a plant moves through it's life span it starts as a tiny sprout being nurtured by nutrients in soil and water, then reaches for fresh air and sun light. Not by choice but natural process. It grows stronger and taller and branches out for more territory. It reaches a pinnacle in it's life when it may be a vision of beauty but eventually it will began to stoop and lose it's luster and then inevitably, lay down and die. Through this entire journey it never had a choice, only to follow the laws of nature.

When an animal, mammal or bird is born it is totally dependent on its mother for safety, warmth, food or life nurturing milk. As it grows and matures it will learn how to sustain life through a natural process of survival. Not by choice but by instincts that are ingrained in it's mind. It may grow to be a fierce forest predator, or a high flying bird of prey, It could grow to be a tree dweller or live deep in a burrow. In all cases the life span will be one of natural selection and eventually no matter how fierce, fast, evasive or high flying it becomes it will someday submit to the natural process and lay down and die.

Ah, but we humans are unique. Well after a while we are. For the first few years we're just like every other living thing. We depend on our mothers to supply us with life sustaining attention. Food, milk, warmth, everything we need to grow and stay safe giving us our only chance to survive. But early on the choices start presenting themselves to us. In school we make a choice who to play with, who to be friends with. As time goes on we may learn from our bad choices but in many cases we may not learn at all.

As we move to adulthood the choices become more significant. We choose who to hate, who to shun, who to hurt. We also choose who to give sympathy to, who to help, who to worship, who to trust. We choose what to eat, what to drink, and although a multitude of reasons may be presented to us not to eat or drink certain substances, it's still our choice. No matter how strong, fast, evasive, beautiful or intelligent we are the one choice we will never have is that eventually we will stoop, wilt and die. It's the natural process that we have in common with all plants, mammals, animals and birds.

There is one big thing other than death we humans have no choice in. That is love. Love, love, love. No matter how hard you try you cannot choose who to love. You can ask yourself the questions of what ifs, why, what was I thinking, but why did I choose to love that person is one question you need not waste your time pondering. It's the natural process of life.

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