Decisions

We make decisions every day. But what’s the mechanism behind it?

Whether to get out of bed or lay down for 15 more minutes. Whether to cook scrambled eggs or have last night’s leftover curry. Whether to sit down in front of the computer and work on the project you’ve been mulling over for the past 10 years or just turn on the phone and flick through anxiety-inducing news articles. Big or small, we make decisions.

Peering through thick and thin things—washing dishes, cleaning the floors, and morning runs—we find our beliefs, the ‘why’ behind all activities. It can be for survival, approval, or something philosophical. Some may categorize it as holding either intrinsic or extrinsic value. It’s okay for it to be whatever it is. However, depending on the foundational cause, I observe that it guides the decisions we make every second, and one decision often influences the corollary decisions. It’s oftentimes not hard to find someone starting their loving pet project and springing into a full-blown business. An amateur sour-dough baker starts baking for his friends and then starts taking pictures of his bread, which eventually leads to the opening of an online sour-dough bakery. An office worker who loves to doodle becomes a full-time webcomic creator.

To speak with discretion, though – there may be cases where those who start with their passion and love do not reach their happily-ever-after endings (perhaps this merits a quantitative analysis to investigate this claim). But one could argue it’s hard to resist the intrinsic notion that something about an ‘inner light’ – the motivation to do things not out of fear but out of love- seems to have a higher chance of a greater magnitude of success. Depending on the characteristics of the ‘why,’ we find ourselves entering what psychology has popularized as the ‘flow’ state. As individuals, we could measure the ‘why”s influence by observing our focus, energy, and time. When we are in a ‘flow’ state, the time goes by faster and more pleasantly. In immersive conversations with close friends, the satisfying piecing of a puzzle, or fierce contemplation with entertaining books, we find ourselves happily basking in the pleasure gained from the activity. In contrast, when we are in a non-flow state, working out of fear and survival, we observe that time passes by begrudgingly, pressure over the physical body as though we are bearing a crushing weight over our shoulders.

But then, how do you decide on your ‘why’—the ultimate source of all your decisions?

The immediate source of decision-making that comes to mind is our personal experience. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we had to make decisions, and we had feelings about them. I would argue that there’s a weak spot in relying solely on personal experience. First, I observe that the most critical decisions are made in either of two modes: we make a decision after due diligence with strategic calculation or make one out of profound emotion. Whether you choose one over the other, your ultimate goal is to feel good in the long term. If you choose the first, the belief of your satisfaction trajectory may be that your emotions may be failing you at the moment, but the results that come after the hard work may be more rewarding in the future for a longer period. I observe that a recent ephemeral phenomenon of the pleasure-seeking mantra, ‘You Only Live Once (YOLO),’ has led to more resentment than satisfaction among the faithful practitioner. Trusting your senses and what you know up to this point may not be sufficient to maintain long-term satisfaction with life (and may expose you to more significant physical/financial risks).

So, how do you make the decision for yourself in the future? Do you trust yourself in making such decisions? Or do you trust others more than you trust yourself?

Among those who have chosen to trust others more than their own reasoning, some may attempt to absolve themselves of responsibility for the consequences of their decisions by pointing their fingers at their leaders, parents, or gurus and saying they are not responsible for what they have done—they have only followed what they were told to do. Some may argue they were merely surviving, did not have the luxury of aristocratic philosophical contemplation, and had to do what they needed to survive.

For those who trust themselves in decision-making, we may approach the realm of philosophy and psychology. Just to name a few, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky popularized the notion of systematic cognitive biases in decision-making. Immanuel Kant argued for rational moral principles, where we make decisions based on moral principles instead of emotions or consequences. John Stuart Mill argued that decisions should be made for the greatest happiness of society in the long term (often at the expense of the few). Friedrich Nietzsche argued for the will to power, to strive for growth and self-overcoming.

In a society where your own decisions not only yourself but others too, your philosophy may be your own business, but others, too. Do you believe in doing whatever it takes to do the greatest good for others at your own sacrifice? Do you believe in doing what you consider morally right regardless of the consequences? How do you decide to let others influence your decision-making? Should you strive for growth or settle for what you have?

There’s no escape from making a decision—whether to postpone it or not, whether to make it yourself or defer it to others, whether to choose one philosophical thought over the other. You decide. You don’t panic. The truth of the world is 42. Wouldn’t this be a more colorful world if each one of us made a conscious choice?

2.10.2025