Apr 27, 2004, 12.00am IST
ANIL K RAJVANSHI.
A jackal and a cat met in the middle of a forest. The jackal asked the cat how would he get away from a tiger. The cat said: "I know one way and that is to climb the tree as fast as possible". Then it asked the jackal what his solution would be. The jackal replied: "Brother, I know 101 ways of getting away. For example, I can go into the bush, can climb up the rocks, can hide behind the tree, can go into a hole...".
Suddenly, a tiger appeared. The cat immediately climbed the tree while the jackal pondered — which solution should he adopt? Meanwhile, the tiger pounced on the jackal and killed it.
Too many choices sometimes create conflicts and problems, and lead to unhappiness. Recent scientific and sociological studies done on a large number of subjects show that there seems to be a direct correlation between unhappiness and the number of choices available.
These studies reveal that increased choices have put a tremendous demand on the brain to make the correct decision. However, modern lifestyle based on information overload results in short attention span and makes it difficult for people to think deeply about the choices. The fear of "missing out" on something is very high and this creates internal insecurity, producing a lingering feeling of not having made the right decision. It produces regret and unhappiness, and sometimes leads to impulsive choice making.
Often, increased choices drive greed. The internal insecurity of a person together with the desire to maximise the satisfaction and benefits from the choices leads to acquiring more and more material goods leading sometimes to a buying frenzy. This leads to an ever-increasing spiral of wealth acquisition and spending to acquire more and more goods and ser-vices. In the craze to satiate their spiralling wants, people begin to live beyond their means. All of this produces an unsustainable lifestyle.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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