Sunday, February 20, 2011

Bathtub and hairdryer


Today I watched "The Family Man" a 2000 film with Nicolas Cage and Tea Leone. It's a light comedy based on choices in life and on the "What if?" question.
What if I had opted by the other choice?
It is not a good theme for a light comedy as, unless you are thinking about it, as you are looking at a lion’s mouth 3 seconds before it closes.
This because, you can not go back to that precise moment in time. It is gone.
In the case you are 3 seconds away of getting eaten, the only reason to do the exercise is, to at least, distract your mind from the big whitish fangs that now you see.
Real choices in life happen seldom. Life is mostly driven by the add-up of small decisions which sometimes are taken long before the time they real matter. For instances if you break your leg when skiing, the major decision is not when you decide to start the descend, unless it is your first time.  The major decision was taken when you decided I want to learn Skiing. Since then you already did some slopes and unless you have broken a leg each time, today's decision was a minor one.
Minor decisions are related on how you live your life. Normally they do not need major thoughts behind then. That does not mean that they can not have a great impact on your life. These impacts are what we call accidents. For instance plug in a hair drier as you are still in bath will most of the times, be a shocking high impact decision. But will never be a major one. You do not spend several hours thinking on it. If you did, by the time you finally decide to make something, your hair would be long dry, so no point of plugging it.
Minor decisions can also provide valuable lessons to be use next time you are in the same spot. If you plug the hair dryer and survive, you will never do it again.
Major decisions are related on how you want your future to be. Normally you need to think about then, get more information, balance pros and cons.
In the above case, if you survive the shock, then you can decide either on not using a hairdryer or not having bath again.
Major decisions have impact not only on us but also in people around us. The level of impact can vary from high to low.
For instances, having a bad hair will surely have less impact then not having bath for a month.
Major decisions can not be reverted as you can not go back to that point in time. Also value of lessons learned is low.
If you decide not take another bath, you can not go back to the 1st day you need one. The learning you will get after a couple weeks will be not related with the decision itself, but how others will react to you.
Mostly you will get more space on most public transportations, which is good, but you will also have to deal with the lack of sex, which is bad.
Major Bad decisions also will help in decide which kind of a person you are.
Good decisions will not as you do not get any lessons from then.
Major Bad decisions will definitely provide some inputs.
The way you will deal with then defines you as a person.
If you use public transportation a lot then not taking a bath will be a GOOD decision. Therefore input is No bath à more space.
However, if you do like sex, not taking bath is a BAD decision.
Inputs now are No bath à no people interaction à no sex. I need to think on other people needs, not in my fears. I will face my fears and become a better person in the end. And finally I will have sex again.
The way as you deal with the results of your decisions will define you as a person, and will define the way others see you also as a person.
More important then thinking the “What if?” is really to deal with “What now?” and to plan the “What Next?”.

2 comments:

  1. my fav so far.
    I wonder though if " what nexts" don't require more of a leap of faith than a pondered decision which leads to the conclusion that few decisions are actaully pondered and weighted and we keep doing is plunging into the ( cold) water ver and over again..

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  2. Leaps of faith can be also a Major decision by itself. Not all are bad!

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