I Decided To Shave, And Everything Changed

We make so many decisions in a day, so many of which we aren’t even aware of. What we neglect to realize is how consequential each one of those decisions are and how it permanently shapes the future. As simple as it is and for whatever reason, this became real for me last week when I decided to shave.

When I was making my schedule the previous night, I decided I wasn’t going to shave. I thought a little scruff looked good and was appropriate for one meeting in particular. I went to bed and my mind was settled. Then the next day, when I hopped in the shower something compelled me to shave. I had no good reason to change my mind. But I did and quickly shaved in the shower before fulfilling the rest of my plan for the day.

While I was shaving, I realized all of the downstream implications of the choice: I was now going to be later to the Bible Study I was headed to which would change who I’d talk to when I got there and the conversation I’d have… Which then impacts the seat I’d take in the circle which affects where everyone else sits… Which creates an entirely different experience during the group conversation.

Further it meant that I was driving a little later than I planned to… Which means I would be surrounded by different cars and people than I otherwise would… Which then changes the time they get where they’re going and the downstream effects of that on everyone they interact with. 

Isn’t that wild? All because I decided to shave in the morning, and it changed everything.

I understand it’s impossible to quantify the difference, we’ll never know the reality that could have been, but isn’t it interesting to think about how the life we experience is perfectly designed by all of your choices and the choices taken by people around you? 

In that way we’re much more interconnected than we realize, everything we do matters for everyone, and it inspires you to be more intentional. Because if those changes can all happen passively as a byproduct of a single random decision… Imagine what’s possible when you actively choose the inputs you want to contribute to our shared ecosystem.

The world runs on cause and effect and in everything you do, you’re creating cause. With great power comes great responsibility!

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