Choices – The road not taken

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

~Albus Dumbledore

 

clicked in Kempty

 

I wish I could live a few parallel lives to know the answer to “What If”. I’m sure many ask this question to themselves that what course their life would’ve taken if they had picked different paths than they are on right now.

And it’s a continuous phenomenon. There comes a time in our life every now and then when we have to choose among two or more paths to take.When we have to figure that do we need to turn the page or simply close the book and switch to another one. Like actual roads, these choices are metaphorical paths which can significantly affect our destination although sometimes there might be more than one path to the same place still even in most of those cases the time taken would differ.

 

clicked in Dhanaulti

 

Our choices are meant to fulfill our desire or promote our values. While we are on a quest to define ourselves, all our choices are aimed at creating an image of the person we want to become. But I think there’s an even deeper meaning layered under our every choice. Are we even free while we make a choice? Sometimes the factors involved are too vague and broad. While we may feel that we made a choice that we felt strongly about but unknowingly do we take the easy way out?

As I look back on my choices and while trying to analyze them in hindsight. I think I had already made a choice every time before even weighing the different options. I did not pick one option because I was certain that my desire towards one variable is stronger than the desire towards the other alternative. In fact, once I chose one option the desire towards this option grew stronger; actually, I created its weight through actions.

clicked in Landour

Having made a choice this way it is possible that we may doubt it. The reasons for our doubt generally are regret, integrity, and weakness of will and that is the moment when we wonder about the ‘what if’ and ‘the road not taken’. But in a way, we are all responsible for our choices and therefore we should take responsibility and exercise our freedom to choose.

 

“Life is about choices. Some we regret, some we’re proud of. Some will haunt us forever.

The message: we are what we chose to be.”

~ Graham Brown