The concept of life can be a very complex journey that not many are able to understand. For some it may be an adventure full of surprises and unexpected misfortunes, while for others it may be a walk in the park on a quiet sunny afternoon. Some of us think of life as an ever-changing daily pattern, but what happens when you're told exactly what your destiny is and that there's no way to change it? In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex the fate of a man whose life is full of misery and despair is abandoned by the fact that he is destined to kill his father and destined to marry his mother. Oedipus is his own worst enemy due to his choices throughout the play, as well as his tragic flaws which are stubbornness, naivety, and ignorance. One of the tragic flaws that contributed to Oedipus' downfall was stubbornness. Stubbornness refers to the reluctance to change your mind or opinion without taking into account what the situation might be. Oedipus refuses to listen to Creon's reasonable self-defense against the unreasonable charge of conspiracy to commit treason. Oedipus accuses Creon of influencing him to call Tiresias over there and ask his opinion, which he believes Creon plotted with Tiresias and was the reason why Tiresias called him the murderer of Laius. Even when Oedipus knows who he is, he may not be who he thinks he is, he is too stubborn to admit he is wrong and ignores the advice of those around him. Jocasta was the wife and mother of Oedipus. Once Tiresias tells Oedipus that he was his father's murderer, he begins to wonder who his real parents are. In the midst of this act Jocasta prevents Oedipus from delving into his past because she knows it would only bring misfortune as it did. There... in the center of the paper... what it says is "Ignorance is a blessing" (Gray), although this could be a curse, it could also be a blessing. If you eliminate everything and ignore everyone around you to maintain a happy life you will not be aware of all the bad things in life, if both Oedipus and Jocasta had ignored their past they could have at least lived a happy life even if it was a shame. These were some of the decisions and events that prove that Oedipus was his own worst enemy. Oedipus' decision brought him the fatal fate he found himself in. His uninformed decisions and anger got the better of him, when in reality he should have thought about what he did before doing it. You shouldn't make decisions in life without knowing exactly what the end result will be. While it's good to take risks sometimes, you need to think about whether the risk is worth the reward before following through with your plan.