A matter of choice.

Since our birth we are faced with choices. Left or right. Whether what we pick will have an impact on our immediate or long-turn future. Up or down. Whether our choices have an impact on our surroundings. What if I don’t tell someone something significant I have seen, will I make someone suffer or rather, will I make the right choice because I was taught to always act in accordance with my moral compass.

Our first (un)conscious choice in our life is to be religious or not, even though we have our parents to decide. Really, is that our choice then, wait, is it even a matter of choice. If we do participate in the cultural tradition to partake and continue in upholding religion and belief, do we make the right choice? Aren’t we going to be ridiculed by other religions and different people who think we are ‘wrong’. And of course the ultimate evil choice that one can make is to choose to not follow any religion. Basically, I am free to choose from one option only and if not, I will be forever branded. Cool. Although I do believe that religion is to be part of your life to fulfill you spiritually and provide guidance when you need it most, and not to be scolded by an angry bearded being on a cloud watching your every step. That is just perverted and wrong.

We are brought with the belief that no matter the importance of a choice we face in life, it will have such a deep impact on time space and the universe itself that one wrong choice, only one wrong choice, can make all the stars implode and obliterate everything. The end of the world is nigh because Billy couldn’t decide if he wants sprinkles or syrup on his ice cream. No, he can’t have it both, he needs to choose. Left. Or. Right.

The fact is, there are choices that are once-in-a-lifetime. But those are the important choices, and nobody can tell you what to choose. That is completely up to you. What you can do however is to take up advice, listen to others and learn from mistakes. Don’t just learn from your own mistakes, and do not repeat them to be sure you learnt something. But just deciding is not easy, a plethora of distractors and influences are always present, unfortunately this means that most of the times we have to compromise if pick left over right. Unless it’s a choice between ice cream and pancakes, the answer is obvious, ice cream pancakes. Move on.

Just as we have a freedom of choice in politics, and I choose to avoid politics as much as possible, we are free to choose to be homeless or not. Anybody see anything wrong with that? No? Good. Me neither. Glad we are on the same page here. If you choose the right answer, you will be rewarded. That is what we were thought to believe since we were in diapers. Get something done right, get a cookie, do something wrong, choose the incorrect answer and get asparagus. In theory we have a choice, in practice, sadly it seems we don’t. Nor do we have an undo button to alter our choice so that we pick the “right” one.

Do we really have freedom? Can I really be what I always wanted to be? Can I really be a unicorn. The short answer, no. The long answer, I am free to do what I am told to do. Now, am I happy when I make right/wrong choice, abso-bloody-lutely. My choices, my mistakes, my experience, my life, my wisdom. My answer may stand out and may differ than what is considered “normal”. Does that make me different, probably, does that make me a pioneer, I really hope so. I do hope so that people with different ideas and approaches make a difference because what would be the point to have freedom to choose?

Are we truly free when we say we can choose or are we just a bird in a cage, singing our sad song to make us feel happy so that in time we believe that we are indeed happy, free and no locked in a cage. Is it better to blindly follow and live in bliss or to question everything and discover true harmony?

By Dejan Vicai