Wooooo Hooooo its Friday!

Everyday I feel like wow it was just today a few days ago ..  maybe 5 or 7 ..

You wanna hear something funny?

I was done with today’s offering of Mental Momentousness (cool right? see how that worked? )   a few hours  ago.  True Story.

Well not this little blurb here because then I would be saying something like  – how early it is and in rare fashion I am ahead of the game.

Instead ok, yea I wasn’t done, but within a few minutes, I mean …

Well the reason it wasn;t posted early is because I chose not to.  I mean I could say it wasn’t my fault, or that I didn;t mean to but really I did.  I wanted to add on a video so I made the choice to wait that led to yes,..  ok so a little bit off on time.. at least I am consistent, and … uh responsible.

That may be a stretch

Anyways,

Today’s Mental Moment

is about choices

and free will.

and accountability.

A hat trick.  Lucky you.  🙂

Have you ever heard someone say

I had no choice

Perhaps you have said it yourself.  I know I have.

But it has come to be something that is …misused and offered as a way out of accountability for the choices and decisions we make.

It really means, it is the only choice that had any value to me, the only one of which the outcome was acceptable.,

Consider This:

When making a decision about almost anything in life, we have choices, options.

And we have the free will to choose whichever option we want.

Sometimes we are in a position where none of the choices is optimal and any one of them will cause something that is not desirable, or possibly hurt someone, emotionally and sometimes physically.  (that would be in extreme cases I think, under severe duress)

We may mull over the choices, weighing the options, looking at the consequences and pondering the right path.

Sometimes, it is a decision that must be made in a split second and is made by reflex rather than an actual consciously formed thought.

Those decisions are typically going to go along the lines of self preservation.  Not always but it goes back to the flight or fight reflex and survival is the desired outcome.

Saying I had no choice is most often reserved for explaining why our action caused a less than desirable outcome for another.  Maybe someone we love, or a collegue or a pet,,, or any number of possibilities.

I am sure it is used, but I very rarely hear, I had no choice at an event that is happy or a positive outcome.  Do you?

Using the phrase has become a way to be absolved from the consequences of  our actions,

It is denying your power as a person and that you have free will.

It is trying o say we aren’t going to be accountable for our actions.

You may feel railroaded into something, forced to go with the decidion you make, but that is only becasue whether you consciouly consider it or not, the other option was unacceptable.

Saying

I have no choice

is really saying that out of the choices available, non were outcomes you could live with, even the one you chose may not have been the best but it was the best of the options you had.

If you are faced with a difficult decision, and feel you have no choice, stop and think about that because there is a choice.

Sometimes you can choose to not choose, but there is always a choice.

Sure this makes us accountable for all our actions and decisions.  Something that many people try to avoid.  But it also gives us strength and brings the concept of free will to our conscious minds and not a concept that is unclear, or something we wish we had.

It does not make us to blame for misfortune that befalls us due to another’s actions.  Although in theory every event can be led back to a choice we made, how could we possibly know we will be hurt or taken advantage of or abused?

What the idea of choice and free will does do, is gives us the power to not be a victim forever.

And an example I can think ofm where I can;t think of one choice I made to cause this is having bipolar disorder, maybe there is something but I think that is not by choice or free will (anything similar)  But it is my choice how to live with it.

And we can learn to trust in our own judgement and when we fully understand that no matter what, we always have a choice, we do not feel powerless, helpless or weak.

Your choices, your life.

Even going back to the nature of the beast question (remember the scorpion and the frog?) somethings we may do because it is in our nature but a humans we do have the choice to change the behavior don’t we?

Our nature compels us but doe not force us, unless we are acting without the presence of mind to have presence of mind,  And even there you are making a choice.

It really is up to you.

To Your Mental State, Whatever it May be,

oh – and no video today sorry …  I think the perfect one will come to me tomorrow, or in and hour.  Ig I chose to plan….   well ..