Choice Poem by Michelle Chargualaf

It never ceases to amaze me as I speed down the isles of the grocery store that other people are moving at virtually a stand still. I wonder to myself…how long do they actually spend shopping if they are all moving at such a slow pace? Me? I race up and down all of the ilses throwing things in the cart and it still takes me an hour to fill my basket. Therefore, if it takes me one hour, does it mean it takes them five or six to fill theirs? I do not know. All I know is I am always having near misses with their carts and they all seem to look at me as strangely as I view them.

So then I think about it on a little deeper level. I am really picky about my produce. Therefore, I seem to spend a lot more time selecting the freshest fruits and vegetables. I am the same way with my meats, not to mention I am a comparison shopper, so that takes a little while longer to shop for too. But in all fairness, just think about it…look at how much choice there is only while shopping in a grocery store! ! ! What type of cereal do you need? Hot? Cold? High Fiber? Low Sodium? Bran Flake? Kid’s Cereal? Low Sugar? Fruit Added? Granola? How about a cereal bar instead? And that is just cereal! ! ! You basically have as many crazy choices for any other product that the store has to offer you! ! !

If you want tampons…what kind do you want? Deoderant? Non-deodorant? Super? Regular? Mini? Plastic Applicator? Cardboard Applicator? No Applicator? If you want a car…what do you want? A Toyota? A Ford? A Chevy? A Honda? An Oldsmobile? A Buick? Or do you even want a car at all? How about an SUV? Or a minivan? Or a Pickup? So…are the people shopping so slow because they are confused? Overwhelmed? Frustrated by too much choice? Or are they indulging in all of the selection available to them?

What about “Free Will”?

Is free will what we use to discriminate between all of the products goods that we need in our lives. Is it our free will that gives us the power of choice? Is it something we as individuals consciously decide what is best for our needs? Is free will used at all? Or are we like the horse on the cart with the carrot dangling in front on the stick? Only, we have a lot more carrots dangling in front of us at all times. Could it be we have been conditioned to believe that we are freely making a choice? If there were not as many carrots…would you go out of your way from store to store looking for just the right choice? Or would you go to a major mass merchandiser?

What is “Free Will”, anyways? What was its intended purpose? Who was it designed for? Why does God not go against it? What was the Choice? Is there really a True Choice? What choice? Either love God or go to hell? Not much of a choice. Is the love therefore true or is it love through default because one does not want to go to hell?