choices. a simple 7 letter word that we've grown accustomed to. a word that has always been associated with one's right, democracy and well, just life.
being born in this modern era, we are bombarded with choices from all directions. from the mundane and inconsequential choices - of what we choose to eat and which shampoo we choose to buy - to the life changing ones - from what we choose to major in and who we choose to marry.
being a girl growing up in the 90's, i was told to believe that i can one day become anything i wanted to be, an actress, architect, pr-lady even an astronaut. on the flip side though, could it be that we are served with too many choices that sometimes, we are unable to make one?
and what about the wrong ones that we've made? is it acceptable to base our judgment of another from that one silly mistake that they've made. theoretically, most would say no. but in reality the overwhelming statistics of careers, lives and marriages being destroyed by that one stupid slip would beg to differ.
the saying goes that to err is human, to forgive is divine. to make mistakes and slip up from time to time is part of being in this species. it does not make you special in any way, not even in the least. so just brush yourself up and carry on with life. the world does not stop revolving just because you trip and fell. that's life. and t sucks. if you wanted an easy and unsucky one, then as jerry so eloquently said, be a dog.
people often focus too much on the first part of the saying that they've managed to ignore the second part all together. to be able to accept one's apology after all the bad things that they've done, now that is what sets a person apart from the 7++ billion homo sapiens on this earth. to be able to forgive someone, to let the hard feelings go and just say, hey, life's bigger than this, is just simply... well, divine. not everyone can do this and certainly not anyone can do this. it takes a lot of understanding of how this life works and a lot of faith to be able to brush off the wrongdoings of others. but once you're able to do that, the release of the anger and grudge that has been suppressed so deep within a person feels so good.
but then again, just because we were taught to forgive doesnt mean that the others get a carte blanche to make all the awful choices they want. tabula rasa doesnt happen often no matter how hard the preachers work and how much we ask for forgiveness from others. elisabeth kubler-ross once said,
"I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime."
we humans were given the ability, the capacity to rationally choose the choice we deem most beneficial to us and all involved. we are given the oppotunity to love, to hate, to eat, to sleep, to make the most of this life and the life hereafter. so next time think long and hard before you make another choice. think of all the things that can go wrong and factor in the feelings of person(s) involved and take into account the benefits it give us in not only this world, but the everlasting eternity as well.
after all, the old greying headmaster of a secret wizarding school once said, "it is not our talents that define us, it's our choices"
"Youre still young, thats your fault,
Theres so much you have to know.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything youve got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not"
