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choices..

I'm lucky enough to live in a country where we have the freedom of choice. Combined with the variety of careers, the options that both women, and men, now have in society and the knowledge we possess as a whole, there are now more choices than ever to be made. But is this a good thing? Are we happier people for it? Sometimes I seriously wonder if we are indeed better off.

As a women, I now have more choice than ever before. I can choose a career, and in any field in which I'm competent. I have the choice of being a single mother, live in a defacto relationship, or even be the one to ask for a divorce. Heck I can even vote these days! But is the choice complicating things? Can I truly ever be content with what I've got knowing that there is so many other options open to me? What if I do this childcare course, and get a job. Am I going to wake up in 5 or so years and think "Gee, what if something else I could have done would be even MORE satisfying?" The same can be said for matters of the heart. Once upon a time, marriage was FOREVER, literally. The only way you got out of a marriage was in a pine box. Nowadays, it seems as though marriage and/or relationships are as disposable as the new age toasters we buy that are more expensive to repair than to replace. And between the world becoming smaller and smaller with sophisticated means of communication and faster means of transport, and the increase in population, the number potential partners has increased exponentially. So are we always on the lookout for someone better? Is it easier to 'replace' rather than 'repair'? Do we bow out too early knowing there are more choices out there? Why are we eternally searching for 'perfect' or near perfect, when 'content' used to be ok?
I've just read this through again, and just want to clarify something. I don't mean this last paragraph to appear as though I'm suggesting people stay married no matter WHAT. All I'm saying is that I think lots of people just run at the first sign of a bad spot, and all relationships have them, rather than try to work through what could be a temporary thing because they think that something better is out there. Many relationships run their course naturally, or people grow apart, or change, things never get worked out no matter how much you try etc etc...

Pay TV vs free to air is one example of where too much choice isn't necessarily a good thing. Here in Aus we have 5 free to air channels. On pay tv with every channel open there are around 40. So how come we are quite content with the free to air, but as soon as austar is in the house there is nothing to watch? I believe that it's because with so much choice, we are always looking for something better. Your flicking through, see something you wouldn't mind seeing, but secretly wonder if there is something you want to watch even more is on, or coming up.

When we have more choice, we have higher expectations. I think this is because we automatically assume there are levels of choice. I can choose this cake and it will nice, but gee, that cake could even be nicer because it's more expensive, or made with different ingredients. We can choose between first class, business, and economy when flying a plane. Even when making purchases we now have much more choice. But again, we always wonder, did we make the RIGHT choice? Was there a better one out there? At what point will we allow ourselves to be happy with the choices we've made and accept the life those decisions have given us instead of looking at the other side and wondering if the grass is greener?

More choice has benefited society as a whole. Medicine, education, lifestyle. These are all aspects which have been enhanced by variety and choice. But as individuals, I'm not so sure somedays. Then on others I think, shit, do I have the "Kona or Hazelnut coffee?' and I think that life can't get any better than this...