Choices

So I have often pondered on the concept of agency, free will, the power to choose, "agents unto ourselves." I find this concept very interesting, especially since it seems at times that some people would be better off if they were not allowed to choose for themselves, but left it up to a more qualified, intelligent human being. But God is willing to loose many of his children to preserve our ability to choose so there must be something to it. In fact our ability to use what has been given us and choose our own path is what makes us like God.

I think it is common to believe that much of our life is out of our control and that we are put upon by other things and people. While we can't always control what happens to us in this life, we are completely in control of how we experience this life. God has "made men free" and we "are free to choose liberty and eternal life or to choose captivity and death."

"My kids make me so mad", is in fact, "I choose to react in anger to my children's disobedience." "We've grown apart", is in fact, "I choose not to love you anymore."
"I can't trust you", is in fact, "I choose not trust you because of what you have done."
This is a good thing, it means we get to determine what our life experience will be like.
It's certainly not easy and there is a tendency to take the easier way, the path of least resistance. Selfishness is more difficult than selflessness because selflessness involves sacrifice. But we nonetheless have the choice. Half full/Half empty. Optimist/Pesimist. Hope/Despair. Faith/Fear. Belief/Doubt.

I was pondering doubt yesterday, this is what actually got me thinking about all of this. I was surprised to come to the realization that doubt is a choice. I pray that my house will sell, my house sells. Is it a miracle or a coincidence? Both are plausible explanations. I choose miracle. Joseph Smith claims he witnessed a vision of God and Christ. It's possible he did or it's possible he didn't. I choose he did. I choose to believe. Yes, there will be things we encounter in life that will place doubtful thoughts in us, just as we have experiences that cause us to believe in something. So we choose which path we will follow, whether we will feed and nurture that doubt or that belief.

There are always reasons why we choose a certain way, tend toward a certain path. We get something out of it. I think it is important to evaluate our selves and find out why we do what we do, what our payoff is. (Often we tend to be kind of oblivious to our own selves.) That can help us start to change if we need to or strengthen existing correct choices.

A short related side note, a pattern of choices leads to a habit which then makes it hard to choose to react the opposite way. This can be a bad thing or a good thing. Bad example, I have chosen to lose my temper and react in anger so much to my children that I find it very difficult to do something else. Good example, I have spent my life choosing faith and belief in the face of doubt that my natural response continues to be to choose to believe, I would find it hard to do anything else.

That is the end of my philosophizing. Choose well, my friends. =)