The Paralysis of Choice

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A desk overflowing with choices — the perfect metaphor for a modern mind. I’ve always wondered why stepping outside my comfort zone feels harder than it should. With so many ways to spend time, I keep circling the same question: am I choosing what matters, or am I just numbing myself with options? Choice overload might be the defining anxiety of our era. One moment I’m browsing an AI course on Coursera, convincing myself I’ll finally finish it. The next, I’m tempted to restart my Sanskrit lessons. And somewhere in that mental whirlpool, a random LLM video on YouTube quietly steals an hour I never intended to give away. It isn’t learning — it’s drifting. I think back to my first iPhone 4. One model. One color. No storage decisions. Apple had already stripped away the noise. Life felt simpler when constraints were built in. Today everything comes in infinite flavors — phones, courses, ideas, careers, spiritual paths, entertainment platforms. Abundance looks empowering,...
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How the hell does it matter?

The other day, it was just me and Yadu catching a late night movie from the late nineties, Dilwale Dulhaniye Le Jayenge (DDLJ). The other two roommates of ours had got into bed early, and we had just got up after our evening sleep. Strange things prop up while watching movies and strange ideas give rise to funny situations. It is baseless to equate the cinematic moments with real life scenario. But, it is fun to see to what extent we can go to simulate what we see on screen. I have this "terrible" habit of posing questions out of thin air. No wonder my friends complain when I sit back to watch movies with them.

As we started watching the movie, we came across a scene where Kajol is supposed to marry a guy whom she has never met before. Come on, this is actually not an all out surprising scenario for people like us. But, I still had the nerve to ask Yadu, "Maga, tell me what will you do if you were in such a situation?" Yadu gives that glance which could mean a thousand different things, and then comes up with this reply, "Sh..(Hell for commoners!!), That's what is going to happen to us!!". I just couldn't control my laughter. Obviously, all of us were(rather are) in the same boat. I don't want to make the situation more apalling by writing the obvious. Let me just end it here and wait for a better turn of events in life!!!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2007 at 10:10 PM

    Ahem.....maga why don't you write about your great expectation of finding a girl from your workplace in California?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Urban geekJanuary 19, 2007 at 12:28 AM

    well, i think this blog is a total cover up. its not going to work though...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lotus ReadsJanuary 19, 2007 at 3:20 AM

    Ok, you've got me curious as to what "Maga" means - is it something like the Mumbai "Yaar" or the tamil "Macha"?

    ReplyDelete
  4. VyasJanuary 19, 2007 at 5:42 AM

    ^Yes I need this answer too
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    But live is short pal...depends on how you want it to go..

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  5. Praveen KrishnanJanuary 19, 2007 at 12:33 PM

    Hi,

    Anonymous: Will take it up in some other post :-)

    Anand: Never been hideous in my life!! So, forget it :-)

    LR: Yep!! Maga is a common word in Kannada to address friends...yes its like machi in Tamil. There are also good number of kannada words like guru, sisya (Note it is sisya not shishya), siva (my personal favourite!!)....

    Vyas: The answer has been very elusive....I am still probing :-)

    ReplyDelete

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