Little Choice
A common malady of our modern culture seems to be that many of us feel trapped and out of control of our lives, our situations – even our moods. We feel that we’ve become out of touch with nature, with each other, with the more spiritual aspects of existence. Very often -too often- in daily life we may hear (or say) something to the effect of “I had no choice” about a certain situation, decision or action. But how accurate is that statement, that thought, that belief – that excuse?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary,
choice (chois) n.:
1. The act of choosing; selection.
2. The power, right, or liberty to choose; option.
…
In other words, a choice is an option we have, a decision to be made. It implies an exertion of will, of consciousness. But how many of us actively and consciously choose our experiences? Do we truly believe we have no choice, no options? Sometimes, sadly, that seems to be the case, but there is always an option to be found. It may be a bit elusive, and it may rattle the cage of our ego, but there are always choices to be had if one chooses to look for them.
If we truly believe we have no choice about something, what we are really doing is giving up our right to make a decision, and letting others choose our experience for us instead. But, if we can decipher the options available to us, regardless of the circumstances, then we can pretty much choose our own experiences.
Now that sounds a bit like Manifesting or the Law of Attraction, doesn’t it? Well, it is. What else is manifesting your reality if not making conscious, intentional choices about the reality you want to experience? Life is a series of choices and decisions – each one made in each moment of consciousness. If we can be aware of these moments, and the choices they intrinsically contain, we can make decisions we may not have even recognized otherwise.
All we really have is this moment – every moment. Eventually those moments add up to be a life… but how aware of each moment are we? Yesterday no longer exists except in our memories and tomorrow does not yet exist. Five minutes from now does not exist. What are we left with? This moment. If we can become aware of the moments, we become aware of our lives and the choices we make. Suddenly, we feel empowered and in control… so perhaps instead of “little choice” over our daily lives we can make Little Choices instead!
“Moment after moment, everyone comes out from nothingness. This is the true joy of life.”
– Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
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