Should we do it or not? This question arises every day, at every moment, from the moment we wake up until we go to bed.
Is it better to act, or, on the other hand, to let things be… and not make a decision? Should we speak up or remain silent? To be or not to be—that is the question.
Every day we have to make decisions, from the most trivial ones to those that could potentially bring about a huge change in our lives, such as a new job or buying a house.
All our choices matter, and all of them are painful. We experience an inner conflict; we feel it. It’s real. We sometimes find ourselves in situations where we feel paralyzed by our indecision and by the lack of action that would lead us to choose a path—a choice.
The decision has to be made; it’s not worth putting it off indefinitely, because once it’s made, we can’t remain at the crossroads indefinitely and forever.
Often, when faced with a wide range of choices, we end up paralyzed—unable to make a decision. Awareness of the infinite variety of consequences that come from choosing one option or another can frequently lead to this state of outward immobility.
Deep down, however, we are not standing still; the fact that we know we still have to decide—and that we haven’t yet—leads to additional suffering, because we know it’s more important to choose a path than to remain indefinitely gazing at them… without taking action.
We end up delaying our decision-making because we are constantly reviewing the countless options in our heads—because we are afraid to make the decision.
A life of affirmation is what comes from making decisions. All our choices commit us to the present moment. Nietzsche once wrote that the lesson we learn from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is that knowledge kills action.
To decide to do something, we have to act; it requires us to do so.
We all need to act if we want to live. It is the inevitability of existence itself.
Image by 👀 Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay
Original text written by @xrayman in Portuguese and translated with DeepL.com (free version)
