I got a B in Ethics during my graduate studies, the only B I earned (yes, the rest were A’s, what else?). I took it in my last semester when my brain was a crusty mass of charred marshmallow. It was a useless course that did not prepare me for the dangerous ground of psychological jurisprudence I was soon to encounter as a therapist.
But there was this one thing. It was a question, asked at the beginning of the semester by one of my professors. This question has stayed with me ever since, and I often drag it out with my clients when they’re facing tough decisions. The question is this:
How do you decide what you decide?
I remember it so distinctly because the professor who asked it suffered from Cerebral Palsy. She had a difficult time enunciating her words. Thus the question – how do you decide what you decide? – came out with a kind of painful deliberation, as if the question was so important she made sure she took the time to speak each word as clearly as possible.
How do you decide what you decide?
It’s an ontological question, aimed at the foundation of our being. I hope to spend some time on this question in the next several posts. Meanwhile, ask it of yourself, and, if you want, give us an answer.