The Power of Choice
Submitted by
bosco on Thu, 05/15/2008 at 11:10am.
The Power of Choice
The power of choice and free will are one of the most important things that we have as humans. People have the power to choose their own lives and destinies. Although, choices one makes not only affect them but definitely affect others, which in turn, may affect the choice the others make. People make choices both consciously and unconsciously, and these kinds of choices will undeniably affect their life and probably at least someone else's, as well. People's entire being has to do with the choices and decisions they decide to make for whatever reasons.
"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
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Choice Theory
According to William Glasser, choice theory "states that all we do is behave, that almost all behavior is chosen, and that we are driven by our genes to satisfy five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun".
Given this assertion, do people always look at all possible choices before making their final choice? It is believed that in no way or how can all possible choices be thought of before making the actual decision. "Often, to simplify calculation and ease prediction, some rather unrealistic assumptions are made about the world. These can include:
- An individual has precise information about exactly what will occur under any choice made (Alternatively, an individual has a reliable probability distribution describing what will happen under any choice made).
- An individual has time and ability to weigh every choice against every other choice.
- An individual is fully aware of all possible choices" (rational choice theory).
A choice an individual makes today will not only affect the person making the choice but can also affect others and a choice or choices they make.
"The universe is a chaotic place. It is full of uncertainty and it can be difficult to predict exactly what is going to happen at any given time be it the present or the far future".
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Chaos Theory
In 1960 Edward Lorenz was working on the problem of weather prediction. He had a computer set up that was supposed to forecast the weather. In 1961 there was a sequence he wanted to see again. To save time he started it in the middle and left it to run. When he came back an hour later he noticed the sequence was different. "Instead of the same pattern as before, it diverged from the pattern, ending up wildly different from the original".
This is known as the butterfly effect as well as the chaos theory.
The chaos theory is amazing when referring to choices. "It is impossible to predict with certain accuracy what is going to happen next" because of all the possible choices and ramifications. When dealing with all of the potential alternatives and, the possible outcomes from the first set of choices, making a choice, literally becomes an extended, complex, math equation, which is astonishing. "Aspects of chaos show up everywhere around the world, from the currents of the ocean and the flow of blood, through fractal blood vessels, to the branches of trees, and the effects of turbulence. Chaos has inescapably become part of modern science".
"Just a small change in the initial conditions can drastically change the long-term behavior of a system"
According to Mary Ann Lamanna and Agnes Riedmann there are two different ways people make decisions, choosing by default and choosing knowledgeably. The first way is known as choosing by default, meaning to make an unconscious decision. Believe it or not, but choosing by default is when a person makes a choice "when they are not aware of all the alternatives or when they pursue the proverbial path of least resistance". Society has many pressures that individuals have to engage. Many people may make unconscious decisions because of society pressures. A married couple may decide to take the path of career
success and somewhat neglect their family because that is what society expects of them and they feel they have no other options.
Choosing knowledgeably or consciously is when someone makes a choice by looking at as many alternatives as possible. The majority of individuals can recall many times they made a knowledgeable decision. When the social pressures can be recognized by an individual, it gives that person more alternatives, to be able to make the best possible choice, instead of the easiest, or only known alternative. If a middle-aged adult decides to earn a college degree there will obviously be many knowledgeable choices to be made.
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Rational Choice Theory
People are human, meaning they are not perfect. Individuals are selfish and do things to get what they want, be it in a job, marriage, schooling, or any other goal or desire they may have. With individual's goals in mind, people make choices to satisfy these goals.
"In rational choice theories, individuals are seen as motivated by the wants or goals that express their preferences". People make decisions based on rewards. What outcome will have the most benefit for me and/or my family? This question someone may ask themselves before making a decision. When reading this someone may think that some people's choices could not be made from thinking of the rewards. For example, someone who steals cars could not make the choice to steal a car for the reward of going to jail, that wouldn't make any sense. The reward for deciding to steal a car could be the "pleasures derived from joy of riding and the recognition accorded by fellow car thieves".
It is strange, yet simple, to think every decision a person makes is based on either a reward, or maybe, a consequence. People do things for their own reasons. They may decide to take the freeway to work because it is faster, or go to a grocery store further from their house because it carries their favorite ice cream. These are just simple daily choices someone may make but as everyone knows there are difficult ones as well, that people are faced with throughout life.
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Theories Synthesized
These three theories, choice theory, chaos theory, and rational theory are all extremely interesting when talking, thinking, or dealing with choices and decisions. Choice theory is the strongest of the three. Choice theory says that people have the power to choose their own decisions. Chaos theory has to do with the entire world as a whole. Chaos theory is called chaos because it is so chaotic. If one person makes a decision, that choice can affect another's decision, and so on and so forth. In rational theory individuals make a decision based on either rewards or consequences, basically that people do things for their own reasons. The final question: Do people choose their own destinies? Some people would probably say yes, while others may say no because of the different factors that could have altered their decision.
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Choices Redux
"Imagine the influence we might have if we focused the energy moving within us through the power of choice". This is a crazy world and everyone has the power to make choices everyday, from the smallest of choices to the really big decisions. Every day people are dealt new challenges, depending on the choice they decide to make will definitely shape their, and maybe another's, future. "Every frustration is simply an opportunity to discover your power to make a new choice within the present moment".
People can be in charge of their own lives if they make the right choices, or if they decide to do so. The power of choice is the most valuable thing that we have control of. People are in control of their own futures'. Everyone should always try to think of as many alternatives as possible before making their final decision because their choice could affect someone else as well. I believe Eleanor Roosevelt said it best when she said "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility."
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