I Chose to Write This Blog

I bought a new pair of shoes the other day. I walked into the shop, saw a pair of regular, plain men's black shoes. Tried them on and handed over my credit card. I was in and out of the shop in less than 7 minutes.

Some people can't do that. They have to spend time choosing things. Browsing through the choices. Selecting. "What if there is something better?" or "It's not exactly what I want. Close, but, well, not exactly what I want." Then either one of two things inevitably happens. Either after half an hour of browsing they decide that there is nothing there for them to buy (like channel surfing through a hundred stations only to realise that there is nothing to watch, which you knew already but you paid your subscription so you feel obligated to use it); or, after a lengthy period of time, they end up going back to the first thing they saw. Ergh!

What annoys me most, though (this is turning out to be a bit of a rant, isn't it? Sorta fun, don't you think? Or not) is when people take forever to choose what to eat, "Should I have the chicken or the turkey?" (they are the same thing, you dill); or "I really want the salmon, but they make it so dry here. But I like dry salmon, but not as dry as they make it here. Maybe I should have the tuna. But last time it was too moist. I mean, I don't mind it moist, it's just that they make it too moist." Listen, what is it with food that people have difficulty in choosing what to eat? It's not like you are buying a car or a house. It's not a major investment. It's only lunch, for goodness sakes. Crikey.

As the Architect says to Neo in 'The Matrix: Revolutions', "The problem, as you so eloquently put it, is choice" (or something like that). Choice. Too much of it. It is baffling how a person can get through the day with the number of choices he has to make. This one or that one? This first or that first? Just pick one, already!

A great story (could be an urban legend, or it could be true): an exasperated father of a teenage boy seeks the help of his local rabbi. His son cannot handle choices. Every time he has to make a decision, he chooses to play up and try to get out of it. The wise and sagely rabbi sends the kid to a kibbutz where he has to stand at the end of a conveyor belt and sort the oranges as they roll through - small, medium and large. As you can imagine, the oranges come through at a pace which allows little time for contemplation, so quick decisions have to be made. The kid loses his decision-making difficulty. Problem solved.

If you want to torture someone, a good tip is to lock them in a room and play the same song over and over and over and over and over again. It will drive them bananas. Which is really the point, isn't it? You see, we can't handle monotony. We need variation and change in our environment. But there comes a point when having a choice of 40 different types of bread in the supermarket, with only the wrappers to distinguish them, is detrimental rather than helpful.

I once was at a youth-group seminar when we were told to enter a room and choose a seat - whichever we wanted. There were about ten of us and there were about 20 chairs placed in different positions around the room. Naturally, I chose the first chair I came in contact with. It was amazing to see how many people milled around for ages trying to chooses which chair to sit on! Incredible - like you could make the wrong choice or something!

OK, granted, there are some things that are worth thinking over or thinking through first. But, please, if you are faced with a low-cost choice (ie: not a life-changing choice), then just make a decision. It's not that hard.

Choices confront you every second of the day. Here's an example of a choice: I chose to write this blog, and you chose to read it. Fascinating.