As we grow up to become members of civilization, we are urged to plan ahead. We’re told not to go out into the world when our bodies come of age, but to stay in school for years more so that we can learn skills and be sure of jobs within a reliable career path. We’re advised not to spend our money as we make it, but to save for the future, when we’re old and tired. Even our vacations are planned ahead.
Nonetheless, there are times when we feel the urge to shake off our plans and act in the moment, unsure of what will happen, improvising in reaction to what happens. We want to experience whatever comes our way, and forge a path depending on that, rather than having a map of every step ahead of us all the way to the end of the road.
This is the emotion of spontaneity, the feeling of being right in the moment without having any notion of how that feeling will fit into any long term vision. Some people worry that civilization can’t be maintained if everyone acts spontaneously, but then, do we live for the sake of civilization, or does civilization exist for us?
Besides, spontaneity does not necessarily go in the direction of caprice, which is wont to break the bonds of habit and obligation on a whim. While caprice disregards relationships, spontaneity can build them through gestures of caring and generosity that violate stiff rules of propriety but demonstrate genuine affection in the process.
