justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

Do I Always Know Why

I Make the Decisions I Make?

There have been times in my life when I’ve made decisions, both large and small, when I’m not really sure where those decisions came from.

There are also times when I’m not fully confident I know the difference between reality and fantasy, which may relate to the “not knowingness” I’m experiencing. Kind of a deep thought, eh? (The antithesis of reality is falsity, but perhaps that takes me down a dark philosophical rabbit hole where I don’t want to go at this time.)

I do find that my decision-making seems more authentic when I’m writing, whether writing by hand or on the computer. Perhaps I’m engaged with senses not always used when I’m just lost in thought or talking with others (or myself), when I’m daydreaming or when I’m caught in the loop of relentless recall of a choice or chance from my past.

A recent blog by the incredible marketing guru, Seth Godin, The post-reality paradox has triggered this train of thought. Seth’s essay captures some of what I’m wondering about: “It's not just the obvious outcomes of engineering and scientific success. It's also the science of decision making and the reliance on a civil society, both of which require the patience to see the long term.”

Godin goes on to say; “For someone willing to engage in a discussion based on data, there is no doubt that this approach is working. It works so well, it’s easy to take it for granted, to assume that miracles will keep coming, that the systems will keep working, that the bridges and the water systems won’t fail and the missiles won't be launched. It's easy to lose interest in spreading these benefits to those that don't have them yet.

While somewhat obtuse, I can understand why I often find myself rationalizing. Godin’s closing statement helps bring comfort.

“The hallmark of post-reality thinking is that it watches the speech with the sound turned off. The words don't matter nearly as much as the intent, the emotion, the subtext. When we engage in this more primeval, emotional encounter, we are more concerned with how it looks and feels than we are in whether or not the words actually make sense.” (Emphasis added.)