“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” Neil Peart (drummer for Rush)

Article first published as Nuggets of Wisdom: Choice on Technorati.

It happened the other day. I stood in a grocery store aisle staring at a plethora of cereal, completely overwhelmed, for what seemed like an hour. This choice was so much easier to make when I was younger.

There were fewer choices back then, and I was able to narrow the field even more by seeing what toy was offered inside the box. That's how kids choose these things, after all. The real problem arose when there was more than one special offer for a particular cereal.

I guess in some ways having an overwhelming amount of choices is better than having too few or none at all.  I know I get extremely grumpy when I'm told I have to do this or go there or do that with no options available.  Very few people like not having the ability to make decisions for themselves.  It leads to dissatisfaction and disobedience.

Equally as upsetting is being offered a choice between two things that are essentially the same thing.  An example might be our two party system of government here in America.  Both parties try to tell you that they are unique.  One claims to be a white horse with black stripes and the other one is proud to be a black horse with white stripes.  The truth is they are both zebras.

It all comes down to choice.  If we are given too many,  we become overwhelmed and find making a decision nearly impossible.  If we are given no choice, we become angry and seek retribution.    But even if we choose not to take the choices offered to us, we have still chosen.

What ever options you are given in life....chose wisely.