Paralysis by analysis
Does more learning create greater or less wisdom in the self?
The decisions we make in life define us. They create consequences that ripple through space-time, each of us uniquely shaping the past, present and future with every movement, decision and thought that we make.
So where does destiny fit in? As society grows more capable of accessing shared knowledge, is it making us any wiser? Are we more or less capable of making decisions for our selves when we are surrounded by constant expositions of the consequences in life?
Imagine a scenario where a person is caught between two choices; the first — a projection of a future built originally on self generated thought, un-affirmed anxiety and personal experience, and the second — a future built solidly on understanding the past, researching the present and predicting the future scientifically speaking.
The decision to be made is either with a skewed sense of understanding of the self or a hugely well thought out exposition of what is the right way to go based on an analysis of the self.
Which one is the wisest? Instinctive or rationalised?
What happens when instincts conflict with ration and the evidence points to both futures being as legitimately possible as each other.
Enter destiny. Is there anything shaping our decision making that sits firmly outside our own hands. Some might call it divine plan, others fate — all of which are countered by ration and reason.
Destiny (or fate) is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. It is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the cosmos. No faith, no destiny.
And what of wisdom? Someone once said that ‘nothing worth knowing can be taught’ yet we spend our lives learning lessons, parables, best practices, perceived wisdoms. Can they all be right? Does wisdom come from knowing everything or can it be found in understanding nothing at all.
After many years of knowing nothing about the whys and what-fors of life, I have experienced the most acute personal schooling in the art of ‘me’ from therapists, coaches, counsellors and psychiatrists and yet, I feel more paralysed in decision making, belief and confidence than I did at the beginning.
The moral compass I was born with always comes back to art. In art we find truth that provides less for logic and more for belief. The lyrics of The Beatles’ ‘Long and Winding Road’ don’t tell of the direction or the choice that should be made but they do speak of the destiny.
The problem with destiny is you don’t realise you’re destined for it until you arrive at the destination. Until then paralysis rules.
The long and winding road that leads to your door
Will never disappear,
I’ve seen that road before,
it always leads me here,
Leads me to your door,
The wild and windy night that the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears crying for the day
Why leave me standing here,
let me know the way
Many times I’ve been alone and many times I’ve cried
Anyway you’ll never know the many ways I’ve tried
And still they lead me back to the long and winding road
You left me standing here a long, long time ago
Don’t leave me waiting here,
lead me to you door
Lennon/McCartney
