In control of your life

In chapter eleven we read about the leavers and about some of the causes and benefits of the agricultural revolution. Through a dialogue between Ishmael and the pupil we understand the different points of view of the takers and the leavers. This chapter is sort of a debate in the sense that the pupil tries to convince Ishmael, who is acting as a leaver, to join his revolution, but Ishmael puts up his own arguments on why they won’t. The pupils main argument consists in having the control of your own life instead of putting it at the gods´ will. “You die because you live at the mercy of the gods. You die because you think the gods are going to look after you. That’s okay for animals, but you should know better.” (p.225).This seems pretty logical to any taker, but when the leavers hear this explanation, they are shocked by its meaning. “From time out of mind we´ve lived in the hands of the gods, and it seemed to us we lived well.” (p.225). The opposite points of view make us realize many things about our culture and about the leavers. Through this, Ishmael is able to explain why the leavers refused and will always refuse to take part of this revolution, because even though we seem to think their lives are pointless and horrifying, they also think our revolution is a waste and totally meaningless. After long discussion they come to a conclusion on what the importance of the agricultural revolution was for all the Takers. “This is what the revolution does for you: It puts you beyond the reach of that appalling nightmare. It puts you beyond the reach of the gods.”(p.229) That’s why this revolution makes such a turn on our history, because it marks our beginning as independent beings, who take the responsibility of their lives in their own hands, trusting no others. What this chapter leaves for us to consider is something that essentially makes part of everyone’s lives: Who are you going to trust with the responsibility of looking after your life? Many times we let others make choices and decide our direction for us. Sometimes we follow the pack and trust someone else to make the right decisions, but it’s important for us to know how to make our own set of choices and decisions. No one but ourselves knows what we want for our lives, and what are goals are, so we shouldn’t throw away our life into the hands of others when we can take it on our hands, the only hands that will never let you down and that will always seek what you want.