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the complexity of life

the complexity of life

Considering the literal, rather than metaphorical, situation here and, for the sake of argument, ignoring the fact that I knew from context whether or not I should go, consider my the situation and my options:

Action: Stay

Result: Somebody will honk at me. You never know - the honker could even be a road rage type who will get out of their car and shoot me. Unlikely, but possible. Additionally, the light may never change to something I can be sure of and I'll never reach my destination. If I wait, even if the people behind me trust my judgement and wait patiently until I deem it the time to 'Go,' if I am wrongly sitting there waiting, I will be harming the people behind me by preventing them from freely pursuing their destination.

Action: Go

Result: I could be pulled over by a policeman and given a ticket for running a red light. I could be broadsided by an oncoming car. I could sail on home with no further incident.

Now consider this situation metaphorically. Sometimes the decisions we face and have to act upon are clear cut, in both what is right and what the consequences will be. All too often, however, life gets complex on us.

We face a decision where we can not discern for sure what is right and what is wrong. Furthermore, even after our decision has been made, we may go for some time, perhaps forever without knowing whether we did the right thing or not.

Whatever the case, it is important to remember that inaction can hurt us just as easily as action. It is equally important to remember that sailing on without further incident hardly guarantees the right action was taken.

Yes, some things in life are simple - some pleasant, some not. Some things are far more complex and typically turn out to be more crucial. There are many, many variables to consider. It is rare to have all the facts necessary to weigh and determine the correct action for certain.

We do the best we can. That's all we can do. But we can usually do better.