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The Power of Choice


When it comes to decision-making we are faced with a fork in the road if you will. We can choose one path that will bring us a positive outcome, or we can choose a different one that can place us in a difficult position. Sometimes, decisions are made for us, and we do not have much of a choice in the matter at all. During our first week in Multicultural Literature, the class was introduced to pieces of literature that focused on choice and powerlessness.

 Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, was a story about a man, Gregor, waking one morning to discover he had been transformed into a cockroach. Yes, of all things, a cockroach. As the story unfolded, we learned that Gregor’s family owed a huge debt and that he had chosen to work to repay the debt. It appeared as though Gregor felt he had no choice. By the time he decided to take back some of his power, it was much too late. He had become gravely ill and could barely get out of bed. During this weak point in his life his entire family instead of caring for him was yelling at him to get up because he would be late for work. It did not occur to his family that he might be ill or overworked. It is amazing how others can decide our schedules for us– that is, if we allow them to. In this case, Gregor rendered himself powerless. He died alone and was basically swept away, like a cockroach, never to be mentioned again.

 

In yet another story, Camus’s “The Guest”, there was a schoolmaster named Daru who found himself in quite a predicament. A long-time friend arrived on his doorstep and with him, he brought an Arab prisoner. Although Daru thought his friend was just passing by, the friend imposed on him to deliver the prisoner to the police. Imagine what Daru must have felt. Here he was minding his own business, not bothering anyone, and out of the blue, he was thrown into chaos through no fault of his own.

 

Moreover, as we saw with both Gregor and Daru, although we may try to live a life of contentment and happiness, at times others throw a wrench into our plans. We must decide if we are going to stand strong and make decisions that will bring satisfaction to our lives, or if we will allow others to force us into making decisions that do not benefit us. One thing that we often face is peer pressure be it in school, our workplace, or at home. Two resources that can be helpful when it comes to decision-making is the Ottawa Personal Decision Guide and an article on Psychology Today that discusses The Art of Decision-Making. Both resources can be easily added to lesson plans and introduced in both fun and purposeful ways. Students can split into groups of four and role-play through the exercises. When students can be interactive in their learning, this can prove to keep them more engaged throughout any course. In this example, the objective is to ensure that participants come away from the exercise feeling more confident and empowered in their decision-making.



References

 

Art Petty. (n.d.). Is your decision-making style holding your team hostage? Retrieved on April 10, 2021 from https://artpetty.com/2017/06/02/decision-making-style/

 

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. (n.d.). Ottawa personal decision guide. (n.d.). Retrieved on April 10, 2021 from https://decisionaid.ohri.ca/docs/das/OPDG.pdf

 

Psychology Today. (n.d.). The art of decision-making. Retrieved on April 10, 2021 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/decision-making#the-art-of-decision-making


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