No choice...

With nothing much happening at the home front, I thought I might as well be philosophical again...hehe...

Yup. How often is it that we keep on hearing ppl say that they had "No Choice..." but to say or do something at a given time?
No choice? Do we really have "No Choice" when we decide to do something? The keyword here is "decide". Cos when we decide on something, there is ALWAYS a choice. Maybe even more than one choice. We picked one. That's abt it. How & why we picked it, that's debatable.

IMHO, when one says he has "No Choice", what he kinda mean is that he had to pick THAT choice...that option...out of all those available to him. Not that he has NO choice...just that his emotions & the strong urge in him that to him then that was the right thing to do. And thus becomes the ONLY thing to do...the "No Choice" Syndrome?

Now what am I really trying to get at? Just simply this. In life, there is NO such thing as "No Choice". That "No Choice" is, in reality, THE Choice we decided to select. To use. To do. So, if we give ourselves the time needed to weigh the pros & cons of all options open to us...to consider various angles one can look at the problem at hand..., we might not have made that choice. And we wouldn't have to end up saying "No Choice" cos we truly had choices and we could have picked a better choice...maybe even the Best Choice!

To some I may be talking in riddles but if...whenever we do have a situation that requires our making a decision, making a choice...if we, at that point in time, hesitate and really consider what other options & choices lay ahead of us, we would NOT have a situation of "No Choice"!!

Don't yu think so...?

Just think back abt those "No Choice" situations that you had undergone before. Now that you can calmly reflect. Did you not have other choices at hand? Other alternatives to pick from? And if so, why did you pick that choice...the one you called "No Choice"? Would you not have made a better decision had you given yrself that little bit of extra time then to make a better decision? To consider. Before deciding. A better choice?

Think abt it...

And, while doing so, it would be most beneficial to tell oneself & to give oneself the opportunity in future to make a better decision, should another "No Choice" scenario arise. Most actions taken on a "No Choice" condition, do not augur well for the decision-maker and those affected by the decision. Think abt it, too.

Words once spoken cannot be withdrawn. Actions once taken cannot be undone. Hurts once inflicted cannot be eradicated. Neither can time once passed be reclaimed. Regretting our actions, as a consequence, would be an action too late. Pls remember that.

Life in this world is truly a very short one. Make yours a happy one. For everyone you interact with. And esp for those you love...and those who love you. Never just think of oneself. Simply cos you are not alone in this world. And all that you say or do to those around you, will always affect them in ways that you might have chosen to close yr eyes, even yr heart, to. When you do realise it ie if you ever do, it would be too late...

For example, one hears or sees ppl, who practise one form or another of taoism, burning items for their departed ones. Items they felt they could hv given when those ppl were alive but somehow, did not? Offering fav foods of those who hv left them. But why didn't they? When those ppl were alive? What's the point of burning those paper models now? Offering foods they nvr can taste. Even saying words their loved ones will nvr hear?

Are they sure their loved ones would ever get them? To eat them. Use them. Enjoy them? Why not do the real thing when they were alive to share their joys with you? Whenever there was any request, excuses were found & given. What's the point of visiting their niches/graves when they are gone? When you couldn't even find the time to do so when they were alive and could enjoy the times they could spend with you? When great feelings could be shared.

Have a good week, everyone! Enjoy the love that IS around you, while that love is still around...and not hv to look back later with sadness or regrets...
Of course, if you are someone with no conscience nor love whatsoever in yr heart, that's another story...