Should a person make all important decisions alone?
When we are young children we rely on others, usually parents or guardians, to make our important decisions for us. However, when we leave our early childhood behind, we have to become responsible for our own actions. Such responsibility is one of the things that separate the child from the adult.
Thus when childhood is left behind, we should make our own decisions which will influence these actions. No one else can make these decisions for us, and we should not allow anyone to persuade us to make what we think is a wrong decision. If we allow someone else to tell us what decision to make, we may well blame them if it turns out to be a mistake. We may then lose a friend because of this. If we have made the decision ourselves, we have only ourselves to blame.
The final decision must rest with the person whose life is likely to be affected by the decision. However, if the decision is an important one, it must not be taken lightly. The person making the decision must think very carefully before deciding what course of action to take. It is important to weigh up the pros and cons before the final decision is made.
The person making the decision, however, should not make it in a vacuum. Of course, it depends to some extent on the nature of the decision, but people often need information on which to base their decision. The decision should not be a swift, off-the- cuff one, if it is an important one.
Such information may be obtainable from magazines, books or the Internet, but often the person making the decision is not simply in need of facts. They need to consult people and discuss with them the issues relating to the decision. The final responsibility for the decision is theirs, but if the decision is very important, they should seek as much input as possible from other people. Important decisions should be based on as much information as possible.
It would be useful for the person making the decision to discuss the matter with someone who has had a similar experience. For example, if a student is contemplating a gap year, it would help to discuss it with someone who has already done that. What were the advantages? What were the snags?
A young mother, trying to decide whether or not to go back to work, might find it useful to discuss this situation with other people who have been in a similar situation. She may not come to the same decision as they did, but at least she will have learned something from the experiences they have shared with her. She will be much better informed and this will affect the quality of her decision.
It is important to get various viewpoints before making an important decision. Only you can make the decision, but you should seek the views of other people in the course of the decision- making process. In this sense, a person should not make a very important decision alone.
