"The strong man is free to be weak and the bird of prey to be a lamb-for thus they gain the right to make the bird of prey accountable for being a bird of prey" (45).

Nietzsche's bird of prey/lamb analogy has really got me thinking. Our discussion in class was about how this passage relates to choice. How much choice do we have given our natures? I remember the day I realized that my life was the product of my choices. It was the first day of junior high. Up until that day I felt like my life had no room for regret. My parents and teachers had written my life story for me. They had dictated every activity and every schedule of my everyday. I remember being horrified of the new school building and the new part of my life I was about to begin. I sat in the auditorium and thought, "Well, this is it. You are going to be responsible for you now. You have choices to make, mistakes to make, and you will probably not always make the right decisions." I was right. I'm sure I made many "wrong choices" in the following years, but I feel I am a better person now because of learning from some of my mistakes. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I still felt I wasn't responsible for myself. I wonder how it would feel to have my parents, teachers, and advisers make all of my decisions for me and plan my schedule for each day. It might be a good life, a safe life, but it wouldn't be my life. My teacher last year used to end every Friday class with this statement: "Have a good weekend. Be smart. Be safe. The choices you make today can and will affect the rest of your life." Choices are a privilege. I feel like that scared child again in a new place. I am starting a new chapter of my life. The choices I make now might dictate what career will have, who my life-long friends will be, and what kind of morals and values I will uphold as an independent adult. I think Nietzsche has a point when he places emphasis on choices. They are crucial in the development of all human beings, and their products define who we are.