Choices
"Tranquility can't be grasped except by those who have reached an unwavering and firm power of judgement--the rest constantly fall and rise with their decisions, wavering in a state of alternately rejecting and accepting things. What is the cause of this back and forth? It's because nothing is clear and they rely on the most uncertain guide--common opinion."
--Seneca, Moral Letters, 95.57b-58a
This is an interesting statement from Seneca. It reminds me of the research that shows how anxiety increases as we gain more choices. I noted this when I purged my closet recently. While I would not be as content as Steve Jobs with a black shirt and jeans (I don't own a pair of jeans), I do find I only need a couple outfits for each major activity in my life (i.e. clothes for the physical therapy clinic versus Army Reserves versus workouts). Simplifying my closet gave me more space and less decisions to make. It also frees me from attempting to participate in fashion--which changes frequently, as much as 52 times per year, to create more demand and revenue.
It applies to other areas of life. We cannot be 100% about every decision we ever make, nor should we. I do think it matters that our decisions are our own. Truly our own.
I think long ago I wrote in the blogosphere that I believed very often we have multiple good choices in one decision and sometimes multiple poor choices. So in the case that there is more than one potentially good route to take, I personally do not worry because there is only one of me and I can't, at least in the moment, participate in both choices. So once I recognize that knowing where both paths will lead is out of my control, I make my choice and commit. It isn't really any different in the case of decision-making when there are only poor choices available (presidential election anyone?). I simply make the best choice I can and continue on.
Stoicism as well as many other brands of religion and philosophy in the world all teach us that we should not focus on the things in life which we cannot control. This common thread is critical to understand and practice for all human beings. Living intentionally and thoughtfully may initially take a Herculean effort in a modern world that begs you to pay someone else to think for you and act for you. However like any muscle its strength grows with use.
I have worked on this muscle for a very long time and have learned to question everything--religion, the modern world, how I live my life, etc. Sometimes it is very uncomfortable and even lonely to question all of these things, it would be easier to simply transform myself to match the group. But then, I have read a little history. In history we can see many instances of blind followers doing things in a group they would have never done as individuals. The human brain is apt to hold strong to its opinion once its sold itself to an idea or dogma. Why would I wish to hold on tightly to the common opinion of the day? When we hold on tightly we never change, never move, we stay in our bubble, lose our ability to understand others, close our mind to new ideas and solutions to new problems, and ultimately we find ourselves stuck in life. To some it seems a mystery and they may even play the victim when they are only a victim of their own mind.
--Seneca, Moral Letters, 95.57b-58a
This is an interesting statement from Seneca. It reminds me of the research that shows how anxiety increases as we gain more choices. I noted this when I purged my closet recently. While I would not be as content as Steve Jobs with a black shirt and jeans (I don't own a pair of jeans), I do find I only need a couple outfits for each major activity in my life (i.e. clothes for the physical therapy clinic versus Army Reserves versus workouts). Simplifying my closet gave me more space and less decisions to make. It also frees me from attempting to participate in fashion--which changes frequently, as much as 52 times per year, to create more demand and revenue.
It applies to other areas of life. We cannot be 100% about every decision we ever make, nor should we. I do think it matters that our decisions are our own. Truly our own.
I think long ago I wrote in the blogosphere that I believed very often we have multiple good choices in one decision and sometimes multiple poor choices. So in the case that there is more than one potentially good route to take, I personally do not worry because there is only one of me and I can't, at least in the moment, participate in both choices. So once I recognize that knowing where both paths will lead is out of my control, I make my choice and commit. It isn't really any different in the case of decision-making when there are only poor choices available (presidential election anyone?). I simply make the best choice I can and continue on.
Stoicism as well as many other brands of religion and philosophy in the world all teach us that we should not focus on the things in life which we cannot control. This common thread is critical to understand and practice for all human beings. Living intentionally and thoughtfully may initially take a Herculean effort in a modern world that begs you to pay someone else to think for you and act for you. However like any muscle its strength grows with use.
I have worked on this muscle for a very long time and have learned to question everything--religion, the modern world, how I live my life, etc. Sometimes it is very uncomfortable and even lonely to question all of these things, it would be easier to simply transform myself to match the group. But then, I have read a little history. In history we can see many instances of blind followers doing things in a group they would have never done as individuals. The human brain is apt to hold strong to its opinion once its sold itself to an idea or dogma. Why would I wish to hold on tightly to the common opinion of the day? When we hold on tightly we never change, never move, we stay in our bubble, lose our ability to understand others, close our mind to new ideas and solutions to new problems, and ultimately we find ourselves stuck in life. To some it seems a mystery and they may even play the victim when they are only a victim of their own mind.
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