Few situations evoke such interesting characteristics in people as the approach of a difficult decision. People being human, the way one manages the heavy thoughts preceding a defining decision are often quite destructive and treacherous. There’s one of these kinds of thoughts I have encountered far to frequently.
Put shortly, this thought pattern consists of postponing any decision until a perfect mental clarity is obtained. The danger lies in the elusiveness of this clarity – too often it’s nothing else than chasing one’s tail. It is simply not to be found, it’s an illusion. This perfect clarity is yet another manifestation of some sort of inborn laziness in the human nature: it’s easier to blame the inability of decision making on the lack of being certain (“how can I make a good decision if I’m not sure?”) all while giving a simple requirement that is yet to be obtained.
An example of this is the smart person continuously postponing university studies (or any equivalent future defining decision) with the reason that she is “not sure of what I want to do with my life”. So she continues to work at the supermarket or the clothes shop instead, waiting for the mental fog to dissolve. But it never does, does it? I strongly believe that she will never be sure until she tries, makes a decision to go for something and then sees where this new path takes her. The alternative is only an endless loop of uncertainty and waiting.
Another manifestation of this thought pattern is the assumption that physical facts surrounding a person are not supposed to have anything to do with one’s happiness (that would be materialistic, wouldn’t it?). Happiness and prosperity do to a large extent originate from the mind, but the mind in itself is not the exclusive component of happiness. Hard work, creation, productiveness and physical activity can have just as big impact on mental health as thoughts do. Extensive contemplation is just as unbalanced and wrong as any mindless activity.
The harsh truth is probably that perfect certainty is a luxury granted to a lucky few. Instead, the rest of us will never be completely certain, but it sure is better to go for something while figuring out That Big Decision than waiting for a turning point. Any activity, be it the right one or a wrong track, is better than sitting there, thinking, thinking…
August 16th, 2009
by Fredrik
Right on
August 16th, 2009
by Mr. Olausson
Thank you.