I use to think that I was making my own choices but now I realize that few of the choices that I make are actually mine. The funny thing is that even though I am not the one making the choices, I’m still 100% RESPONSIBLE for the choices that I make. So far if this sounds crazy as hell to you just stick with me for just a moment.
First let me lay the groundwork for what I am about to share with you. We are infinity choice makers. At any given moment no matter the situation there are an infinite number of choices that we can make. The reality is that we often make the same choices we’ve made in the past based on a set of beliefs handed down to us. We literally do not see all the other choices that are available to us at a given point in time.
Let me give you a couple of examples so this will become abundantly clear to you. You can probably come up with many on your own when you start to really think about this. It’s a fascinating way to live when you put this concept into action.
When I was growing up my mother always had ample toiletries. She would buy enough toilet paper, Ajax, soap, and toothpaste that we never ran out. When we started to get low she would go and re up (that’s slang for get some more).
Guess what yours truly does today? I stock up in much the same fashion. The main difference is that my mother often bought off brand items (maybe because she was a single mom raising three kids) and I tend to be a name brand kind of guy. Did I have to consciously think about such behavior? No it was handed down to me from my mother and I just started mimicking her behavior without even thinking about it.
Here’s another example although not from my own person experience. Let’s say you’re walking down the street and a flower pot drops on your head. You most likely will have one of three responses.
- You look up to see where the flower pot came from and most likely want to go upstairs and kick some a%$#@ while giving the culprit a piece of your mind.
- You immediately have a thought that you can sue the s&*% out of someone and collect a large sum of money.
- You can practice some new age bulls&** and pretend it didn’t happen.
The above are perhaps the most common reactions that people would have if they encounter such an experience. However, neither of the above responses are optimal choices. Why? Neither of them produce true happiness, harmony nor are they particularly helpful.
Here is one optimal choice out of infinity of choices. You could pick up the flower pot and replant the flower in a new pot and take it back to the owner. You could explain to him or her what happened and say that you realize that it may have been an accident. You could then let them know that you bought a new flower pot and replanted the flowers. This is not a choice that most people would see but it is a choice that would make you feel very good at night when you lie down to go to sleep.
It’s not a choice that most people see because the choices they make are based more on what they’ve been taught rather than what is actually available to them. Most choices that people make are rote responses based on a set up made up beliefs. As you become aware of your makeup you can begin to make conscious choices.
There is a great film coming out that talk more in depth about how we are being programmed by the media in ways that we don’t even know about. I encourage you to take a look at the trailer by going to www.ProgrammingTheNation.com.
That’s my spin on it.
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