Decision Maker

Who decides? What is right and what is wrong? What is good and what is bad?

Maybe it is the judge that has to mediate every action and reaction? Maybe it is the professional broker who is chosen to represent the people of the area to make new laws that all must abide by? Maybe it is the one who holds the scepter?

When we are young, we cannot make the decisions. The big people around us do that. They tell us what to wear, when to eat, where to sleep. They tell us when to play and what to learn. It is not our choice.

As we grow we are given more responsibility to make our own decisions whether or not we should and the real learning process starts. Still bombarded by outside influences individuals we start to decide what colors we prefer, what food taste the best, which ones will be our friends and when we make incorrect decisions we are punished.

There are consequences to our decisions.

Each day is filled with decisions. We decide to go down the hall to the potty knowing if we do not we will be carrying a stinky with us. We decide to start the day off with a pot of coffee, a cup of tea or a shot of bourbon. We decide what to wear either by what is pressed and arranged in our closet or which piece of clothing on the floor is the least repulsive. We even are able to decide which shoe to put on first.

After the decision of how we make enough to survive and where we can shelter and whom possibility would live with us, we can settle down to the real important stuff. We can surf through the channels to decide what to waste our time on.

Our educational decisions will determine our future career(s) and many will require others to make the decisions for us. Some are content to take the orders and complain about them later while some may want to move up to make those decisions that affect others.

Other life choices may be life changing. The person you agreed upon marrying and living your life with might turn out to have been a bad decision. The next decision will cost you emotional pain and money.

Soldiers go where told to point their weapons. The command might come from on high but each individual has to make the life or death decisions. There is no ‘time out’ to analyze the situation and ponder the results.

We can’t decide to die but we all know we will. Some have the decision made and others will ponder if there was an option, but ultimately there isn’t.

The decision to give birth is another matter. The decision to become pregnant is not always mutual but once the process has succeeded life alters. The cards are laid on the table and the deal has been made so the players must decide the next move.

Do they stay together and perhaps marry so the offspring will not be shunned? Will he decide to split and leave her alone with the next decision?