On Nov. 4th, Americans exercised one of their fundamental rights as citizens of a democratic republic: they voted and chose their new leader. Although the ballots listed as many as thirteen candidates, for most people the real choice was between only two of them, and unless they were an independent swing-voter – a simple one.
Even if it is not election time, we are constantly reminded by the media and the government about how lucky we are to be living in a free society which recognizes choice as one of the inalienable rights of the individual. But there are always two sides to a coin, and what seems to be a blessing may just as well occasionally become a burden.
The circumstances may be trivial: Say your body craves caffeine and you hit Starbucks to satisfy that craving. But before you do, you have to make an insanely large number of decisions! Would you like decaf or regular; the brewed kind, an espresso or perhaps two shots of the latter? Extra hot or just lukewarm? Should you want to add milk and make it into a latte, there is the extra confusion of having to choose between whole, skim, fat-free, sunny-side-up, medium-well… oh, and soy. On top of that you have to figure out whether you want to spice it up with some chai powder, caramel syrup, a dash of cinnamon, and calculate if your current diet allows for the consumption of whipped cream. If you are arriving from a foreign land, and it is your first time in coffee heaven, you might also have trouble deciphering the tall, grande and venti specification. Phew… Thank God you are actually getting a coffee after all this hassle, otherwise you might be ready for a nap. So, whatever happened to just coffee? As in that joke: – Man (or woman, if we are into political correctness): Hi, can I have a coffee? – Starbucks cashier person: I’m sorry, what was that?
Shopping for groceries may prove just as cumbersome. When I was growing up in Poland, communism was still very much in place and every product came in just one shape and size, if it happened to be available in the first place. It is almost a blasphemy to say this but there are times when I find myself wondering: Was it not easier that way? It certainly left more time for the contemplation of the bigger questions in life, like: “What major should I choose?”, for example. Poland still makes this one pretty simple for us – once you pick a major, you are stuck with it for five years. As the system works differently in the U.S., I often come across people who are two years into their higher education and are still listed as undecided. This does not surprise me. If college offers you almost infinite possibilities in terms of what field you want to explore, who would want to give up on that opportunity? If you graduate with a major in Russian literature and a minor in rocket science, this certainly makes you a person with broad intellectual horizons. What it entails though, is devoting a large portion of your valuable time to pondering all the options and choosing the right one. Of course, you will change your major five times before that happens.
So it seems to me that choice, as with most of our precious rights, is a boon and a bane. But it is first of all a responsibility. Not so much at Starbucks, but at the election polls, college registration offices, court rooms, news rooms conference rooms, and at home. So cherish that right, think twice before you decide and choose wisely.