Contradiction Quote

"Do what you will, this world's a fiction and is made up of contradiction." --William Blake


These words once spoke by Blake pretty much sum up Blake’s view on the world. He thought that the world should be shaped by imagination and not by science. Fiction is what Blake was able to base his art and poetry upon, and if he would have based it on science he never would have gotten anywhere. He speaks of contradictions because of his some what cynical outlook on mankind at this point in time, with the hope that the world would some day be shaped purely by imagination. This quote is really saying that we as humans should live the way we want, when we want. (“Do what you will”). Our own fiction/imagination is made up of our own will to do what we want. It doesn't matter what it may be, but Blake really thought that if the mind can believe it, it can achieve it. If our dreams are of the imagination, they are never too big. The world is also made up of contradictions; such as Christianity being a religion about forgiveness, yet those who commit sins that are severe enough can be excommunicated in some religions or churches. Another contradiction I come across all the time would be parents trying to tell their kids what to do. When they were our age, they made just as many mistakes and made the same choices as we do. In some cases, we can learn from the mistakes of those around us. But generally, our parents were in the exact same circumstances that we are and were once faced with the same scenarios that we are faced with on a day-to-day basis. Why should we get punished for doing something that our parents once did? To me, that is a huge contradiction and it goes to show how hypocritical the world can be. We can create what we want out of our lives by using our imaginations and living according to what we really want. The world is full of these “contradictions” anyway, so what’s the harm? Blake was really trying to convey the power of fictions along with contradictions in our lives, and his words make more and more sense as I experience it myself.