The choices we make

According to UNCTV: Its estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. Each decision, of course, carries certain consequences with it that are both good and bad.

Dani Koang

According to UNCTV: “It’s estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. Each decision, of course, carries certain consequences with it that are both good and bad.”

Dani Koang, Staff Writer

I think about it all the time. When I find myself lying awake in the middle of the night, I usually find myself questioning things like the concept of reality, or fantasizing about my wildest dreams. However, lately, I have been contemplating the power of people. Or, more specifically, the power of choice. 

You see, we as human beings are rather powerful creatures in this world.  And I am not just talking in terms of physical strength and capabilities. If you really think about it, a person could easily do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to – but we do not. It is true that we all have the power of free will, but we willingly give up this idea of total freedom to maintain order in the world. 

We create governments and systems that are specifically designed to deliver a consequence when our social contract is breached. It is fascinating, really. The way we are all willing to give up total freedom to minimize chaos. That being said, it is obvious that not everyone is willing to accept the terms and conditions of a civilized society. After all, it is not a perfect world; we as humans are not immune to flaw and error. But just think about it: we are all capable of anything. We are all just making the choice not to break the contract, to maintain order and avoid anarchy. 

Just as I stated before, it is truly fascinating. But it is also very frightening. For those of us who choose to abide by these rules, whether it be because of fear of consequence or moral conduct, we view anyone making the choice not to oblige as monstrous or inhumane. In reality, they are just as human as anyone else; their choices just differ from our own. Personally, I would never do anything to harm or endanger the livelihood of another living being, but that does not mean I could not. We are all very much capable of making our own decisions. There is a fine line between ‘could not’ and ‘would not;’ however, most of us are just choosing the latter. 

As much as I would like to think that most people are inherently good, I do not know if I could say so with much certainty. Who is to say what we would be like without governing authority keeping us in line? It is a chilling idea to think about human capability and the power of choice because at the end of the day, we all have our options – but it is what we choose to do with them that counts.