Contradiction

May it be the most unattainable desire of the civil man, to find certainty in the midst of their moral stature. Daily are a man’s inherent values tested, his inclinations bent, to determine whether they may stand firm in the face of adversity. More often than not, moral strain comes in the form of debate — a mere theoretical crossroads. Much less often are our values tested among a bombardment of fists, each reeking more than the last of tobacco, leather, and human liquid.

Our yet-to-be invisible man prefaces his beliefs upon humility…

“On my graduation day I delivered an oration in which I showed that humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress. ( Not that I believed this — how could I, remembering my grandfather? — I only believed that it worked.)”

How could one possibly be expected to stick by his own words, to practice as he preaches, if he himself admits to disagree? And how long may this belief last? Well, let the stark words of Mike Tyson be considered, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Yet much more appropriately, “Everyone has a firm set of beliefs until they get punched in the mouth.” The same can be said for our unseen adolescent, a situation he had similarly been subjected to.

Our protagonist’s muse, as incessant strikes ensue…

“I was confused: Should I try to win against the voice out there? Would not this go against my speech, and was not this a moment for humility, for nonresistance?”

A fairly common moral quandary had hit our invisible man at this moment: at what point do we abandon our beliefs? When must we revert to natural human brutality, if ever? Is a blow to the face the perfect excuse to forget humility, and is it worth sticking by such abstract concepts? These questions will continue to remain, and despite the decision (or the lack of one) from our protagonist, he was inevitably given the chance to voice his pseudo-beliefs regardless.

It remains that moral stature is a fluid, constantly morphing to each own’s subjectivity. As is the case with our main character, wavering to the short-term desires of a purely physical human. We each must proceed in the constant effort to solidify our morality, and to establish our words — our speeches — upon them, so that we may not contradict.