Some time ago I ran across the review of a book entitled, “The Paradox of Choice” by Barry Schwartz. I cut it out and saved it. (The book was not in our local library.) His premise is the MORE CHOICES we have, the LESS HAPPY we are. I got to thinking about that and concluded he MIGHT BE ON TO SOMETHING.
We’re besieged by ENDLESS commercials exhorting us to buy COUNTLESS products, all promising to change us from DUMB AND DORKY TO SMART AND STYLISH. It’s overwhelming: 500 cereals, shampoos, salad dressings and TV channels.
As a kid with a penny in my fist I’d go to Harris’ Candy Store. He had a HUGE ARRAY OF PENNY CANDY. I Would AGONIZE over the decision. However, If I had TWO CENTS, life was MUCH EASIER; no agony, no sweat. I bought a HOOTEN BAR. It was the ONLY TWO-CENT CANDY IN THE CASE. Besides, it was MY FAVORITE. NO DECISION NECESSARY.
Young people are confronted by a ZILLION CHOICES: Career, marriage, housing, style. It’s enough to IMMOBILIZE a person… and frequently does. Here’s the irony: UNLIMITED CHOICES CAN BE A CURSE. LESS CAN BE A BLESSING. LIMITS DO NOT NECESSARILY ENSLAVE. THEY CAN LIBERATE.
Studies bear it out: People who are MARRIED and close to FAMILY AND FRIENDS are generally HAPPIER AND LESS STRESSED. They can’t JUMP AROUND from job to job – girl to girl (man to man), blow their money on “NEW TOYS”, because they’re limited by their BONDS TO OTHER PEOPLE. There’s a kind of LIBERATING EFFECT, a sort of SERENITY.
I can enjoy my HOOTEN BAR instead of going crazy trying to decide how to spend a penny.
Come to think of it, Satan PURPOSELY CREATES CHOICES WHERE THERE SHOULDN’T be any. That’s what he did in Eden… AND HE’S STILL AT IT. Everything was great until Adam and Eve were confronted with a CHOICE… WHERE THERE REALLY WASN’T ANY. They made the WRONG CHOICE and everything, including you and me, went INTO THE DUMPSTER.
So GOD had to CHOOSE. HE CHOSE TO SAVE US FROM OUR OWN CHOICES. “He has CHOSEN US IN CHRIST that we should be HOLY AND BLAMELESS BEFORE HIM”. Ephesians 1:4. As St. Paul always seems to imply, “BE WHAT GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU TO BE”.