Life is full of endless choices, opportunities, new ideas and changing scenarios. To overcome the obstacles, we have to be ready to juggle the options that appear on our way. Every day, every hour, even every second, people make decisions.
Small, large, important, funny, mundane, all those countless choices with the speed of light forever change us, turning the world into one that the second time will not happen ever again. Creating a world that is a wonderful, vibrant and ever evolving.What is choice? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary choice is the act or an instance of choosing or selecting an alternative action or possibility. In a very general sense the most important issue pertaining to choice is the possibility of alternative solutions, presenting a real opportunity to choose one of several possible variants.
Another equally important factor is the consciousness that indeed the situation in which we find ourselves, allows us to take such alternative actions.Some of them are called life choices that determine the path of education, profession, choice of wife or husband just to name few. On a daily basis, however, we do not decide on such matters, but the mass of small decisions we make. Which product to buy in stores? Take a bus or subway? Have a cup of tea or water? They do not require special effort or strength of mind or any particular type of commitment. The dilemma of freedom of our choice becomes apparent in the case of the most important issues.
In my opinion freedom of our choices is limited or not as versatile as it might seem. We can talk about the free choices when there are alternatives - the possibility of making a voluntary choice that is conscious, rational, thoughtful and purposeful. To me it seems reasonable to say that certain actions taken or specific behavior in a given situation has no connection with our autonomous decision, but is derived from external factors to which we had to adjust. I am more or less what surrounds me and experience I have met in this environment.For example society has significant influence and restrictions on individuals and has shaped one's value of what they should do and what they should not do.
In today's society, people are freer to make their own choices than they were before, but it is true that we cannot exercise our interests despite the basic rules of the society. In other words, we cannot make a choice absolutely free; living in a society we have to conform to the norms and rules that provide stability and harmony of the whole. Sometimes it happens that people do not have the impact on their own lives.Serious illness, disability, wheelchair conviction is a tragedy that restricts our freedom. We are then condemned to the presence and help of others, dreams are becoming less viable.
Our freedom of choosing is limited by suffering personal injury or accident over which we have no control. However, as much as we are limited in our choices and influence by the rules of society, inherited traditions and values that are part of our identity or certain life circumstances we still are entitled to great deal of freedom in terms of decision making.Therefore, I believe I am solely responsible for my level of happiness or where I am in life and this is my philosophy. Holding myself accountable means being honest to myself and this is the hardest thing to accomplish. For me personally assuming responsibility for my actions despite the lack of complete freedom of choice and accepting the consequence for them is utmost important.
Taking responsibility for choices in the past enables me to continually strive to improve myself, realize my own potential. The choice-consequence factor in life is unavoidable.I make better choices and decisions knowing that I am accountable for my actions, nobody else, just me. We always want to choose correctly between black and white, avoiding the gray but how else are we to know what to do and what not to do if not the bad decisions. Unpleasant experiences in life always bring sadness and often have negative effects but sometimes it is the only way to win and take advantage of new opportunities, it is a way is of stepping up to fight for our happiness, even against the family and rooted tradition.
For me becoming empowered is to hold myself accountable for all of the decisions I have taken. When I look at my past, I see that my behavior was conditioned by such-and-such factors, but when I look at the future I want to believe that I can choose my own level of happiness no matter the constrains, limitations or lack of freedom of my choices. For me the choice is a challenge and a reason to live therefore unconsciously I subject myself to the illusion of free will and choice.
