Choice

When we threw the ball, they went insane. 

The children of Mancheyat Nasr had never seen a school like this. The grounds were enormous, clean and well equipped…and they got to play in them. They were right to be thrilled.

One of the most prestigious educational institutions in Egypt had accepted us there for an outing. 

‘Bring another one, quick,’ I said, throwing a basketball as far as I could. 

This had been one of the most chaotic ways to start their break. The children loved basketball. Attempting to set some order was useless.

Hands up high, the children tried to bring themselves to attention. They squeezed between each other, trying to get close, until most of them had a basketball.

Once they managed to get a hold of one, they started playing with the other volunteer, who had been laughing at our predicament. 

Then, with only five children left, Angie, one of them, spotted a scooter in the equipment room.   

‘I want the scooter!’ she yelled. 

That was game over. 

Just like that, everyone wanted a scooter.

Some of those who were already playing dropped their ball and ran over.

They swarmed around us and would not accept anything other than a scooter. We had orders from the school not to let the children use the scooters. Our hands were tied no matter how much they pleaded.

For half an hour we tried explaining that they could not play with the scooters. For half an hour, they refused to accept what we said. Then, time was up, and the group of children so eager to play with the basketballs had not played at all.

— — —

A supermarket can be a great reflection of the choices we need to make in our life. From the things we eat to the things we do, our days are filled with options. 

Sometimes, we have a strong grit that gives us certainty in what we want. It could be a craving for a burger, wanting to study a specific subject or meeting up with a friend. 

Other times, there are so many options that a decision can seem impossible to make. We might want to practise a sport but do not know which one, or which of the twenty clubs to go to. 

What about what my calling is? My vocation? There are so many options, so many choices, so many opinions and thoughts and experiences and desires. What do I do if there always seems to be a better option… And what do I really want?

Abandoning something we enjoy for the perceived chance at something better can easily be what we end up doing.

The cacophony of choice can confuse us into making a decision that leaves us with nothing at all, or worse off than we were.

Perhaps, the first choice we need to make is to pause and reflect on what choices are most important. To acknowledge what we have, what our responsibilities are and see what limitations we have. To discover ourselves.

If we know what is really important to us, what we really want with our lives, all the other choices become simpler.

Our choices start having a focal point. If we want to become healthier, we know that the healthier option is the one we should make. If we want to preserve our mental and spiritual health, we know that we cannot choose something that deprives us of rest. If we want to be good people, we know we cannot choose something that would not align with who we want to become. 

Once we know who we are, it is easier to know what we want.

Questions:

What are the things that make me happy? 

What do I seek to do when I am bored? 

Exercise: 

• Spend a few minutes thinking about values that are important to you. List down twenty. 
• From this list of values, select ten that you see as being most valuable to you. 
• Narrow down the values to three which you deem as most important to you.
• Why are these values so highly cherished by you?

Exercise: Spend some minutes in silence. 

What does my mind wander to in this time? Do the things on my mind align with whom I want to be and what I value?