Paradox Of Choice

This video was recommended to me by a friend.  The title and description nearly turned me away completely.  Thank goodness I didn't close the tab.

I relate to his sentiment that more choice means less satisfaction.  I too have a fear of missing out, opportunity costs, and buyer's regret.  When I browse my Steam library or glance at the unread books on my shelf, it depresses me knowing I haven't reaped dividends on my monetary investment.  I don't want this guy to be right because I look at the technological marvels of the past hundred years and think, "This can't be the wrong direction!"  Liberty is my hope and ideal.  But alas, I fear his reasoning is spot-on.

In the past, we had only one way to do things.  If we didn't do them that way or got lucky finding a better way, we didn't survive.  Now, it's easy to live comfortably, comparably-speaking.  There's not one brand of slop in college cafeterias; there's a cornucopia of food to select from.  On our roads, there's more than black-painted Ford Model Ts zipping around; a score and a half of manufacturers are emblazoned on passing vehicles during your average commute.  For media, we're not stuck with three news stations; anyone with a camera, microphone, and YouTube account can make their own broadcasts, and reach far more than a single nation's households.

What I (re-)learned from this talk is I'm stalling.  I'm postponing my development.  I am too easily deceived by senses of urgency that eat up valuable time.  My vision is stunted, and my impulses run unchecked.  I am too afraid of what I miss out on by refusing it.  I do not have unlimited time, which means I have to drop some things, which depresses me.

God's blessed me.  I don't say that boastfully; what I do with those blessings is far more important than having them.  My parents have always prided me on my well-rounded list of activities.  I know I'm capable of doing great things when I put my mind to them.  But I don't anymore, because I hesitate, because I worry over the loss.  It bothers me I can't do everything.  I foresee it as loss, as waste, and I hate having waste.  So, I grow depressed, recalcitrant, nihilistic, and go back to my video games or my silent rants, postponing my duty further.

Then nothing gets done, which you'd think would convince me to do more than nothing, lol.


I do have good news to report.  I finished Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Man, and a Vindication of the Rights of Women" via audiobook.  Very good writing, but hard to listen to.  I'll have to read a physical copy someday.