Unfathomable Choices

Sometimes we face unfathomable choices. And we find a number of ways to deal with them.

1. We delay.
2. We refuse to carefully examine the pieces close to the surface of the issue to determine what those pieces are hiding.
3. Because the questions are so deep, or perhaps we are fatigued or even lazy, we lose our desire to understand.
4. We redirect our energies to tangential issues.
5. We find a way to blame someone else.
6. If there isn’t an obvious person to blame, we blame the person(s) we blame for everything else.
7. If we don’t know who to blame, we proclaim a conspiracy.

At the end of the day, the unfathomable choice isn’t made. And we’ve made our choice to revisit it tomorrow with greater anxiety and even less patience.

We face unfathomable choices every day. The pandemic has brought into focus two sides of an unfathomable choice. But it is most likely not the only one in your life.

For today, let me offer this alternative to whatever unfathomable choice you face:

1. Make a choice. Even a small one. Choose to put your anxiety on pause to do something positive for someone else. Choose to pray.
2. Choose to do some research with an open mind. If you suspect your sources are biased, seek out sources that present the other side.
3. Try to find a middle ground. You don’t have to answer the questions for the whole world. Just find a place for you. (As an aside, an individual’s middle ground can become the answer for all.)
4. Focus on the problem in front of you. If there are tangential issues, label them as such. Deal with them as such. Don’t let them distract you.
5. Don’t spend much time blaming others. If someone else caused a problem, learn from your experience. Help that person be better. Or avoid that person. Or don’t let that person be in a position to cause harm again.
6. If you have a “go-to blame person,” see #5. But also learn to forgive. Regardless of whether they appreciate it, forgiveness will do you a world of good. Forgiveness can give you your life back.
7. Be watchful and take care of yourself and others. But don’t waste your time embracing a conspiracy theory for every down-sided experience. People do scheme. People do evil. But conspiracies are overthrown by those who focus on doing good.

Focus on doing good.

Photo by Burst on Unsplash