Options

Cluttered choices crowds out the chooser.

Even from a purely secular perspective, man has always preferred enduring truths over what we loosely term as "scientific truths" - truths that can be displaced, like how Galileo's discoveries displaced Copernicus' only to be superseded by Einstein. To be able to choose, is a great freedom. But how does one exercise choice in this day and age where there are so many competing voices and so many truths that appear to be enduring truths. It is undeniable that scientific advances make our options or choices even more numerous. The extension of life expectancy and basic biological functions such as fertility logically invites a youth oriented population to adopt a non-limits strategy in their youth like search for novel experiences. We act on our choices as if we will live for ever whilst paradoxically being fully aware of the brevity of our existence. It doesn't help that reports or articles about yet another young entrepreneur or more likely these days, another techno-preneur "making it" only increases the sense of possibility and anxiety. Define it as growth and it is exciting. Watch it in real time and, for many of us, life seems to be overcrowded and unsatisfying. So many choices, so many targets, so little time. It would appear then that the most logical thing to do is to start paring down our choices. But where does one begin, being surrounded by all the clutter that we have allowed into our lives or accumulated through our education and conditioning. A slow sorting and sieving process seems to be in order yet this seems to be an even more onerous tasks than having to choose wisely.