Matter of choice ;)

What is maturity? Intelligence overcoming instinct? It essentially implies exercise of your choice as opposed to just being a victim of circumstances. Well, yeh, maturity sounds like that for the major part. But, what constitutes intelligence? Does making a choice necessarily imply the existence of intelligence? I am afraid it is not the case.

The choice per se is fluid: it changes with the information that comes in. It is responsive to the stimuli. That said, the processing of the stimuli for generating a response depends on the system. The response can be just one out out of a fixed set of responses, which has been handed over to you. With this option, you have the safety of doing something that has been already tested and approved, even though you may not totally agree with it. In this case, the process of making the choice is more mechanical than intelligent. One may argue that even though the response set is already fixed, there is indeed a certain level of intelligence that is required to select the appropriate one (or the appropriate as you think). Well, I am talking about the making of those very responses in the first place.

Instead of the previous ‘mechanical’ option, you can make your own rules. But (and that is a big BUT), if you do so, you have to bear the responsibility for your choice. And that is not easy, if you have to satisfy too many people. Even if you are trying to satisfy just a few, it is going to be hard, given that people are unpredictable. Not unpredictable because they are so by nature, but their responses to same stimuli might be mightily different than you can guess. So, if it is so hard to make your own choices, why make it at all? The answer for that is – simple. Just to know how it feels to live your life your way instead of living it the others’ way. And of course, it takes a lot of brains to make your choices and guts to stick to them.

In sum, choice is good. Letting the others make the choice for you is easy; may very well earn you respect. ;) But making your choice by yourself is hard on your brains as well as guts. That said, you may feel it is practical to not overwork your brains and better keep your guts in. Well, you bet!!!

P.S.
Intha mokka matteruku ivlo periya post konjam overa thaan irukku. But, mokka poda yaarum illathappa, you dont have a better choice, u see.