The moment I think of making decisions, I will go places into my history. I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But I have seen people seldom took it. You know why? Because it's too damn hard. I never questioned them, never risked in following them either. Being a silent watcher I never preferred to be on firing side. When those difficult Cases occur, they are difficult, chiefly because while we have them under Consideration, all the Reasons pro and con are not present to the Mind at the same time; but sometimes one Set present themselves, and at other times another, the first being out of Sight. Hence the various Purposes or Inclinations that alternately prevail, and the Uncertainty that perplexes us.It started from day one when my dad was saying, no shouting stating that I lack discipline and clarity in my decisions. At that point I don’t even know the meaning of those two little words and my dad is expecting me to use them in real time. Very funny!!! Science or arts, engineering or medicine, electronics or computers, MS or MBA everything in my life was bonded by my odd capability of making so called worst decisions. People say we often learn from our mistakes. Certainly true to some extent. I totally took that in wrong context and started committing as many of them that I never had time to learn from them. Years after my engineering, I am still in a dilemma when I have to take sides. May be I will always learn from my mistakes, throughout my life.
To get over this, I started a strange Way i.e., to divide half a Sheet of Paper by a Line into two Columns; writing over the one Pro, and over the other Con. Then during three or four Days Consideration, I put down under the different Heads short Hints of the different Motives, that at different Times occur to me, for or against the Measure. When I have thus got them all together in one View, I endeavor to estimate their respective Weights; and where I find two, one on each side, that seem equal, I strike them both out. If I find a Reason pro equal to some two Reasons con, I strike out the three. If I judge some two Reasons con, equal to some three Reasons pro, I strike out the five; and thus proceeding I find at length where the Balance lies; and if after a Day or two of farther consideration, nothing new that is of Importance occurs on either side, I come to a Determination accordingly. And, though the Weight of Reasons cannot be taken with the Precision of Algebraic Quantities, yet, when each is thus considered, separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I can judge better, and am less liable to make a rash Step; and in fact I have found great Advantage from this kind of Equation, in what may be called Moral or Prudential Algebra.
A structured approach to decision making can help us make good decisions, but can’t guarantee good outcomes. We are sole and whole responsible for our own deeds. We always play safe by taking advices which in turn lead us to make our decision battened. My experience was so little. I tend to make simple but yet powerful decisions to make myself inquisitive.
Now I have an interesting situation to discuss. The whole purpose of places like coffee machines is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to sip one cup of coffee or tea. Lemon, black, light, horlicks, chocolate, cappuccino etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are, can, with in 10 seconds, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tea! Coffee! Cappuccino! It comes naturally. Often we do mistakes. Next day the taste as well as the ability changes. May be reciprocal to each other. The least thing we ever expect is to have an uninvited visitor in our cup. A cockroach in cocktail of course. (Wait for my next blog to handle uninvited visitors!!!) Next time you ask me right or left, definitely I will say straight.
To get over this, I started a strange Way i.e., to divide half a Sheet of Paper by a Line into two Columns; writing over the one Pro, and over the other Con. Then during three or four Days Consideration, I put down under the different Heads short Hints of the different Motives, that at different Times occur to me, for or against the Measure. When I have thus got them all together in one View, I endeavor to estimate their respective Weights; and where I find two, one on each side, that seem equal, I strike them both out. If I find a Reason pro equal to some two Reasons con, I strike out the three. If I judge some two Reasons con, equal to some three Reasons pro, I strike out the five; and thus proceeding I find at length where the Balance lies; and if after a Day or two of farther consideration, nothing new that is of Importance occurs on either side, I come to a Determination accordingly. And, though the Weight of Reasons cannot be taken with the Precision of Algebraic Quantities, yet, when each is thus considered, separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I can judge better, and am less liable to make a rash Step; and in fact I have found great Advantage from this kind of Equation, in what may be called Moral or Prudential Algebra.
A structured approach to decision making can help us make good decisions, but can’t guarantee good outcomes. We are sole and whole responsible for our own deeds. We always play safe by taking advices which in turn lead us to make our decision battened. My experience was so little. I tend to make simple but yet powerful decisions to make myself inquisitive.
Now I have an interesting situation to discuss. The whole purpose of places like coffee machines is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to sip one cup of coffee or tea. Lemon, black, light, horlicks, chocolate, cappuccino etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are, can, with in 10 seconds, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tea! Coffee! Cappuccino! It comes naturally. Often we do mistakes. Next day the taste as well as the ability changes. May be reciprocal to each other. The least thing we ever expect is to have an uninvited visitor in our cup. A cockroach in cocktail of course. (Wait for my next blog to handle uninvited visitors!!!) Next time you ask me right or left, definitely I will say straight.
