Over the last few months I've been overwhelmed with the choices that I get here in this country, I have accepted and embraced the idea of having options hurled at me every minute!
I remember my first sandwich - at Subway. I asked for the 6" inch Chicken Teriyaki.
"White or Wheat?", the girl at the counter wanted to know.
I ignored her. She must be talking to the person behind me I thought. I had placed my order already.
She looked at me again, and repeated, a little louder, "White or wheat?"
"What?" I asked.
"Bread", she said.
"Yes", I replied, more than a little puzzled. Weren't all sandwiches made with bread?
After a few more unsuccessful attempts at communicating, the lady gave up and held up two huge loaves in her hands - "this or THIS?" she gestured.
Oh, they have two types of bread..ding-ding-ding-ding!!! Before I could laugh in my mind at my powers of comprehension, I was bombarded with more choices, a flurry of them, each slapping me in quick succession - "Mustard-Mayo-Cheese? Veggies? Salt? Pepper? Oil? Chips with that? A drink? Cookie? Cash or credit?" Huh!
Surprisingly, my first visit to Starbucks caused no embarrassment - the cashier seemed to know instinctively that I was not very good at multiple choice questions, so he decided to go easy on me and only ask questions for which a simple "yes" or "no" would suffice. Coffee? Large? Room for Cream? Paying with cash? Phew! I nailed that one.
Got me thinking. Choices, of course, come in two flavors themselves. Gel or Paste, Easy fit or Relaxed, Rocky Road or Mint Chocolate Chip, Soup or Salad - these are the choices that just pretend to be that, for in the long run, it doesn't really matter which one you pick. Neither the Easy Fit nor the Relaxed is right for me - what I need is the Low Rise Hipster with just a little flare at the bottom. And, it's likely that when I go back to that restaurant a second time, if I picked salad the last time, I can ask for soup this time.
But then, there are the big choices that really get you thinking, for your decision then will change your life. The choices that keep you up at nights. The ones that make you call your parents and siblings and loved ones in the hope that one of them will come up with a point you've failed to consider. These are the decisions for which you need "for" and "against" columns to all the factors you need to take into account. You are so afraid of making the wrong choice that you would rather not choose at all!
I figured having choices can mean pleasure or pain, depending on whether you choose to enjoy the process for what it is or whether you let yourself be bogged down by the weight of it.
Having too many choices can either make you free or tie you down. The former, when you realize that you're lucky to have choices, the latter when you fail to see the broader implications of having many roads to travel by, of having enough time on your hands so it doesn't matter if you get a little lost along the way.
4 comments:
Starting from quite a hilarious description of the kind of choices we commonly face while ordering food in US, this post delves into some deep-rooted philosophical questions. Although I would have loved to see a more detailed analysis and discussion of how hard making choices can be in real life, I think it does touch upon the key aspects. I specially liked the concluding sentence. Almost everyone will agree that the great thing about this country is that it provides us with so many opportunities, so many directions along which we can steer our lives. However, often this complicates things significantly as well. We may not understand which is the best path; I think the only way we can learn is by trying out different paths, be prepared to take a stumble or two and have the strength to learn from them and become all the more wiser. In this context, one should remember that it is never too hard to choose between good and bad; but it is always enormously tough to choose between two good or two bad options. And the choices we take eventually shape our lives. I don't believe in destiny. So it all depends on our choices and more often than not life always provides us with that one additional chance to rectify our mistakes. So all that we need is an open mind, adaptibility and a willingness to learn from life's experiences.
did u ever stand in ques here in india ? at railway reservations? examination form submission? name a service and we had ques.. until internet arrived. its funny how i was always confused ..which line to choose. any amount of head count, any amount of competence analysis of the person behind the counter never helped. i always ended up standing in the slower line :) only thing that saw me through those long hours of waiting/wrong choice was my perseverance.
as for the sandwiches.. try them all and do let us know the ones you recommend :)
Thats the precise reason I avoid subway. No matter how healthy it is supposed be. I just cant think when I am hungry!
Even the less fortunate have many choices. They just arent all light hearted. Like should i sell the tv, the washing machine, the motorcyle or the furniture to pay for the kids' fees.
Having choices is just a part of being alive. I dont know if its got any positive or negative connotations.
Death is the only thing we dont seem to have any choice in. We all die.
The rest is what you make of it. Or what it makes of you. Or just something neutral in between?
-M
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