“If patience wasn't so easily tested, then it would hardly be a virtue.” - Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow.
A few months before 30, I’ve come into a better understanding of life. From my short time here on earth, I’ve realized that human being are primed to make choices about their lives on a daily basis. Whether it’s trivial things such as what they wear, what they eats, or the places they go, we all face choices every day. Those choices seem to give us a sort of autonomy over our lives. We like to feel like we’re in control and for the most part, there is nothing wrong with that. There is a certain feeling we get when we make a decision and the consequences are positive. We become engrossed in our decision-making process. We feel like we have things under control, but I have a theory that making less decisions is what makes life better.
You see, it’s not the day-to-day choices that matter but the major ones that take patience and time before you can see the benefits of those decisions. The decision to forgo taking out loans and going to an expensive college, the decision to invest 10% of your income at 25, the decision to free up your mental bandwidth in your 20s to optimize for learning, the decision to foster good friendships, and to be present with those around you are some of the most salient decisions you could make in your life time. I believe that under the umbrella of what we call decisions, there are two types. Decisions that compound, and decisions that maintain. From the two sets of decisions mentioned above, the first set of decisions are maintaining decisions and the second set are compounding decisions. Knowing and understanding the difference really makes all the difference in life.
Finally, there is another theory about how we make decisions in life. B.F Skinner does not believe in the concept of free will. He states, “Free will is an illusion all we really have is conditioning behavior and even the worst behavior followed by pleasant consequences is bound to be repeated.” Throughout life, we’ve come to believe that our decisions are a function of our free will being exerted, but what if that isn’t the case? What if all of our decisions are truly a function of the conditioning that we’ve been exposed to? Think about what we eat, the drugs we take or do not take, or the activities we engage in? There’s actually research that shows that based on the children your child spends time with in their childhood are important precursors to their health, income, and marital satisfaction. So, today, think about the things that are conditioning your behavior. What are the things that are currently in my environment that are influencing me to behave the way that I am and t what are the long term consequences of those actions.
As always,
la vie en rose
Daviel