In
life, we are faced with countless decisions every day. Some are as
small as deciding whether or not to sleep in an extra five minutes or
to get the turkey over the chicken sandwich, some are as large as
deciding a career choice or proposing – or being proposed to – by
a loved one, and some you barely think twice about, like deciding
whether or not this blog is worth your time to read. No matter what
the severity of the decisions, we all have to face them in our lives,
and the way in which we think about them can make a big impact in
what we choose, and the innate impact those decisions bear on us,
whether they be for the better or worse.
When
we think about making a smaller, less weighty decision, we usually
throw together a quick “pros and cons” list in our head and make
an assessment then and there, and viola! We have our choice, and it's
as simple as that. When making a large decision, however, there are
generally three categories of questions that one asks themselves that
delve far deeper into the spectrum of thought:
Introspection –
“Pulling from my pool of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of
the situation/people/environment, what could potentially be the
ramifications of this decision?”
Duplication –
“Looking to my peers and at historical figures, what has happened
in this sort of situation in the past?”
Experience –
“What has happened in my past when I made a similar decision?”
After
these questions have been answered, a person has a basic idea of what
can or will happen when they make their decision, and this is
generally when people do make their decisions. Sometimes this is
enough to go by, but sometimes, it is not, and more information, or a
different mindset, is needed to choose.
Some
decisions are obviously a terrible idea, and need no further
consideration, like “Hey bro, you want to try LSD and go Black
Friday shopping??” or to allude to the common domestic dilemma
“Honey, do these pants make me look fat?” You have your answer
immediately, because the negative aspects of these situations are
very clear to you and indefinitely outweigh any potential gain. Most
decisions, however, seem to fall in between the mental scale of
“positives” and “negatives,” and you find yourself having a
very difficult time making your choice. When life throws these sorts
of situations at us, we do either one of two things. We say – in
some loose terms – either “Screw it, what's the worst that could
happen?” or “I don't want to risk it, so I will not do it.”
There
are both good and bad aspects for each response. When we decide to
not do something, we are playing it safe by route of patternicity:
“if I say 'no' and it turns out to have been a good idea after,
then little harm is done, because I have lost nothing I already have.
If I say 'yes' and it turns out to be a bad idea, then great harm
could be done.” It is the route of the pacifist, and while
sometimes it is wise to do so, I believe that favor fortunes the
bold. When we decide to take that choice, we are taking a proverbial
“leap of faith,” going into the unknown, knowing that it could
turn out either good or bad, but willing to take the risk.
Risk.
Risks are needed to truly become a world-changer. There is an old
adage that says “Every stick has two ends” alluding (in simple
terms to what quantum mechanics' want to rant on for hours) to the
fact that if something embodies one aspect of a matter, then it must
in the same way embody its opposite. George Gurdjieff, a Russian
philosopher in the early 20th century, referenced it in this
way: “...If 'something' obtained from two different causes
engenders light, then it must inevitably engender a phenomenon
opposite to it, that is to say, darkness... so on and so forth,
always and in everything.” In relationships, if there is a chance
for happiness, then there is also a chance for sadness. In
existential choices, there is the chance for hope, and there is the
chance for despair. In matters of challenges, there is the chance for
growth, and there is the chance for fragility. In any all aspects of
life, there will always be two different ways something can turn out,
as we in these mortal coils are not omniscient beings capable of
future sight. This is the risk that we take upon ourselves every time
we say “yes!” to an important decision; we are making ourselves
vulnerable, and proclaiming that “I am willing to take the risk of
pain, hardships, or despair.” It is carpe diem; it is seizing the
day. My encouragement to any reading this, is to take that chance. It
is far better to take the risk and open yourself to disappointment,
than to close yourself off and miss the opportunity for true
satisfaction.
“To
venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one's self....
And to venture in the highest is precisely to be conscious of one's
self.” -Søren Kierkegaard
“If
anyone on the verge of action should judge himself according to the
outcome, he would never begin.” -Søren Kierkegaard
