My wife and I were looking at some photos of ourselves the other day, marveling at how young we once looked and subsequently commiserating at how old we appear today. I stared for some time at one photo in particular, one that seemed to capture the relative innocence and naivete of the young man in question. I tried to recall his state of mind at the time of the photo, what issues weighed heavily upon him, and the decisions with which he would be confronted in the days and years ahead. Hindsight is a wonderful perspective to play with; when you already know the result, the journey becomes an interesting study of choices.
Each of us is, after all, the sum total of choices we have been permitted to make throughout our journey of life. Our choices reflect not only preferences but, more importantly, our values, our principles, our character. They serve as articulations of who we wish to be and of who we actually are. And they are the milestones of our journey, marking the signal events of our lives.
Choices are the acts of bringing to life our beliefs. They are the expressions of our innermost feelings about lifestyles, about the type of vocation to which we aspire. Choices reflect our most intimate feelings about having a family and what is important in our personal and spiritual lives. Choices are dynamic portraits of who we are. I reflected long and lovingly about the choices that the young man in the photograph made over his coming years, with a sense of satisfaction that his decisions had been, for the most part, the right ones for his own unique psyche.
But what if I had not had the luxury of choice? What might my portrait look like if my life, instead, had been channeled at every turn. if the circumstances of my being were such that I had no choice?
I might never have been introduced to and courted by music. Maybe I would not have encountered the opportunity to know sports and fitness, the elements of my physical well-being. Perhaps I would never have known the centering peace of my spirituality. What if there had been no option for education? Possibly I’d have served in the military during the Viet Nam war. What if Katie and I had never met? Our adopted children would have been raised in different homes; our mutual, familial love for one another would never have come to be. Maybe our beautiful grandchildren would never have been born. What if circumstance had dictated that I spend my days in search of food instead of organizational strengthening? The list of choice-based outcomes is nearly endless. How might you own life have evolved differently if you had not had the blessing of choice?
The luxury of choice stems, in part, from political philosophies which recognize and value human independence. It also arises from circumstances that allow the human spirit to envision new aspirations and realities for itself. In the absence of these elements, choice is minimized. And outcomes are dramatically different. It’s true everywhere. In the U.S. In Nicaragua.
Winds of Peace Foundation works with many organizations and individuals in Nicaragua who have few choices. They are moved in directions dictated by their realities and their histories, in the former cases often motivated by need for survival, in the latter cases motivated only by what they know from previous generations. And when motivation stems from either absolute need or limited knowledge, then choice is often a forgotten, impractical dream. The nature of the Foundation’s work is to create the environments for more choice, with the certain knowledge that, over time, greater choice invariably leads to better outcomes. I wonder what Nicaragua might look like today if their history was populated with greater choice and fewer outside impositions that eliminated it.
In the years ahead, I expect to make lots of choices about things. Perhaps the Foundation will adopt some new methodologies. Maybe I’ll move into a new vocation altogether. I might do some more writing. My wife and I will make some determinations about eventual retirement. We’ll think about travel that might be important to us. I’ll even continue to choose the kinds of food I want to eat, whether for my health or for my enjoyment. But whatever the issue, I’ll have in mind my gratitude for having the opportunity to choose, and a hope to be a resource to those who do not….
