CHOICES CHOICES CHOICES

  This is the time of year when people's minds turn to choices. The past 18 months have indeed been a time of choice. To go or not to go. To see family or not. To give that hug or not? It is as if we are badgered by choice making and it gets tiring indeed. That is precisely when we make foolish choices and then must deal with the consequences.

Over the past few days I was able to read several books which had major choices within. The first was Defending Britta Stein by Ronald Balson. It concerned the situation of Jews in Denmark during WWII and the choices of individuals and a nation during that time. It was powerful, well written, based on fact, appeals to the emotions, the mind and presents much history within. It forces the reader to examine his/her own life, wondering what choices they would have made and what does it tell one about oneself? Is that knowledge good or bad?

Another book I came across was Mutation, written by Michael McBride. A goodly segment was over my head as it consisted of scientific terminology. Nevertheless, the story was clear, the necessity of choices to be made was clear, the consequences equally as clear. The choices were difficult, life threatening in many cases but they had to be made. The reader realizes that sometimes there are no good choices to be made. They equally stink, as the vernacular goes. Yet, there is no choice about making choices for one cannot float around in life, a dust mote borne on the air currents, for that allows choices to be made with result ensuing, but the choices and the results are inflicted, not made.

Briefly, the novel involves some truly weird life forms and life questions. It is more than a science fiction or fantasy offering. It kind of asks or presents the same choice as did Arthur C. Clarke in his famous saying: "Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." What we choose to believe tells us much about ourselves. Personally, I believe that we are not alone. It makes much sense that there are other sentient beings out there in that great big Universe. Make a choice. Think about the implications of that statement.

Our choices often reveal ourselves to others even if we do not realize it. Andre Malraux said, "Man is not what he thinks he is; he is what he hides." How often in life do we make decisions, choices for life, that are not really the ones we want to make or should make. We do it to hide some of ourselves, perhaps to hide a strength or a weakness. Perhaps to keep a secret. For many reasons, but still, not the truth for ourselves. So who are we indeed?

I think the truth is that we very rarely know the truth of ourselves, who we are, what we truly believe, what we know in our deepest selves is true and  the right choice. Our future is often based on the decisions, the choices, we made in the past. They follow us, even more so now in the age of computers and social media. We need to remember that, to take it into account when we choose to act or not. A character in the novel Mutation said it correctly. " It is in the dust of history that the seeds of the future are planted."

Think about the choices so many of us have had to make over the past troubled half a decade. What has ensued as a result? What will history and historians write about that and about us? Choices, choices. Who are we and who do we want to be?