Choice


From Wikipedia:

Most people regard having choices as a good thing, though a severely limited or artificially restricted choice can lead to discomfort with choosing and possible an unsatisfactory outcome. On the contrary, unlimited choice may lead to confusion, regret of the alternatives not taken, and indifference in an unstructured existence; and the illusion that choosing an object or a course leads necessarily to control of that object or course can cause psychological problems.

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Unlimited choice may lead to confusion, regret of the alternatives not taken, and indifference in an unstructured existence.

Do we want people to tell us what to do? Do we really want people to give us choices? Do we want to choose between choice A and choice B, both proposed by the same person? I prefer to think that there is always a choice C, and that I can find it by myself. So far it has not lead me to regret my 'alternatives not taken' (except one), but it has lead me to confusion and indifference. But at least I know I have choices. This is the 'ignorance is bliss' thing hard at work. People who accept less choices might be happier, but they're also more ignorant. Life is free, but you should be prepared to deal with that.

I control my life. I think. Actually, the only thing I control completely is to end it right now or to live on. Everything else is dependent on external factors. I can steer it a little bit, or sometimes I can even make a large step in one direction, but I can never fully control the outcome. Why? Because other people make choices too, and sometimes those choices clash with your own choices. Life is not what you expect, but you should be prepared to deal with that.

Would I have it any other way? Would I rather be a sheep, following others? Or do I want to have full control of my choices? Then again, a sheep with the illusion of choice is still a sheep. Meh.

Let's compare people with game characters. Some people are like NPCs: non-playable characters. They exist only to interact with other people, and they will never change. Then there are the 'sheep-in-control': the players. They choose their own path, but always within the boundaries of the game. Some players can switch games or play more than one game at once. And there are people that make the games. They design the maps, and they provide the player/sheep with choices. All within the tiny sandbox that is our life.

I don't quite know where to place myself. Nobody tells me what to do. Nobody provides me with choices. I am free to choose my own life. The choices I made so far have had their effect on me. Some results were better than I ever expected. And in some cases my choice clashed with someone else's, and the outcome was terrible. Still, I'm happy that I know that I have a choice, even if I don't know which one to make.

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