'Suffocated by Options' Crisis – Are YOU the Next Victim?
The media are forever banging about the good old 'middle-age' crisis, yet I'm here to tell you we are in for a new one. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 'suffocated by options' crisis, and to make matters worse, I bet you all suffer from it.
The symptoms are fairly easy to recognize. Firstly, you start wasting too much time on choosing just about anything – from a tomato in a local supermarket, to a guy for a next date. You are always sure there are better ones elsewhere. This idea is actively propelled by all the dating sites, where one just needs to change the settings a bit to get an even bigger choice of candidates.
Secondly, you question every decision you make, which results in you sitting on the fence all the time. It doesn't mean you are not well-equipped with information, you have all of it at your fingertips, yet what we all seem to lack nowadays is a basic courage to make a decision and face the consequences.
Thirdly, you are not sure about what you want to do with your life. This involves getting up one morning thinking you should be an actress, only to realize the following morning that you have unbelievable firefighting skills which you simply must use. To be fair though, it is actively supported by modern day celebrities, who miraculously combine acting, writing, and painting skills, alongside managing companies and building houses for the homeless.
But what you finally get from this seemingly endless sea of possibilities is a person who tried a bit of everything, yet excelled at none. A person who goes through life choosing, yet never settling. The one who doesn't commit to anything, as it scares him to miss better opportunities down the road.
And as exciting as such a lifestyle might seem, it takes its toll. So next time you go to the supermarket, save some energy – pick the closest tomato and smile.
Vocabulary:
- is forever banging about – is constantly talking about
- I give you – I present to you
- suffocated by options – a feeling you get when you have too many things to choose from
- to make matters worse – to make the situation even more unpleasant or difficult
- is actively propelled – is actively promoted
- question every decision – doubt every decision
- sitting on the fence – a situation when you have two options and you don't know which one to
- you are not well-equipped with information – you do not have any information
- have all of it at your fingertips – have all the things you need close to you
- face the consequences – accept the results of your actions
- miraculously - magically
- excelled at – be successful at
- doesn't commit to anything – doesn't start being seriously involved in anything
- takes its toll – it causes harm or suffering
