Page 1 of 8 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 76

Thread: The great picture of our lives

  1. #1
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,648
    Thanks
    3,304
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12

    The great picture of our lives

    The great picture of our lives is shaped less by the big decisions and more by the horde of little, seemingly insignificant decisions we make along the way.

    Agree or disagree?

  2. #2
    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Johannesburg
    Posts
    3,480
    Thanks
    134
    Thanked 695 Times in 593 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    Every decision we make, alters the path we follow
    Victor - Knowledge is a blessing or a curse, your current circumstances make you decide!
    Solar pumping, Solar Geyser & Solar Security lighting solutions - www.microsolve.co.za

  3. #3
    Diamond Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    planet earth
    Posts
    3,943
    Thanks
    153
    Thanked 317 Times in 287 Posts
    You only need to make one small mistake to impact the impression people have about you. I always try and tell youngsters to live by a set of moral standards, no matter what happens,even if you have a couple too many captains and coke, it is important not to loose focus, you do one small bad thing and people will always remember you for the one little bad thing you did rather than all the good you have done. So the answer to your question yes i agree, its the little decisions.

    Some of the moral standards i live by:
    Rule no. 1...Never sleep with your mates girlfriends or wives, even if they break up.
    Always pay back debts, especially to friends even if it is only R10
    very important...never lie, not even little insignificant ones they will always come back and bite you.
    never hit a women, unless she hits you first.
    There are many more, but i think these 4 are the most important.

    This thread could get interesting

  4. #4
    Diamond Member Mike C's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Umkomaas
    Posts
    2,850
    Thanks
    249
    Thanked 371 Times in 327 Posts
    I also agree - our lives today are a result of all the decisions made, both big and small ... and both concious and unconscious. The "unconscious" decisions are probably what we regard as the smaller decisions which emanate from our belief system (not religious belief) - what we believe about life, about money, about friendship, etc
    No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop "The Lion and the Mouse"

  5. #5
    Diamond Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    6,329
    Thanks
    426
    Thanked 978 Times in 795 Posts
    The problem is that we only know in hindsight which were the pivotal decisions.

  6. #6
    Diamond Member Citizen X's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    lenasia
    Posts
    3,404
    Thanks
    868
    Thanked 701 Times in 613 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave A View Post
    The great picture of our lives is shaped less by the big decisions and more by the horde of little, seemingly insignificant decisions we make along the way.

    Agree or disagree?
    A very good morning to you Dave!

    Whilst your question defies a short answer, I'll nonetheless try!The small decisions really do count! This is one for the philosophers though! If life is a chess problem, then philosophy does not provide a solution. If life is an art, philosophers are not the artists nor do they confer a technique for art. As to the claim that philosophy prepares one for this business of life, that claim remains largely unfounded!
    My pal, Karl Marx, stated in 1845, ‘The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point is however to change it” Making small decisions is actual change!
    Small decisions do manifest in eventual change. I can’t help but agree with Adrian when he postulates that the benefit of retrospect gives invaluable insight into where we went astray, what we should have done as opposed to what we have done(For me this is a great many regrets, “too much wine, too much song, I wonder why I went wrong,’). Philosophy will remain a science that includes 3 branches: physics, ethics and logic.
    The logical discourse that ‘The great picture of our lives is shaped less by the big decisions and more by the horde of little, seemingly insignificant decisions we make along the way,’ is actually sound
    “Ubuntu is the essence of being humane" Desmond Tutu
    Spelling mistakes and/or typographical errors I found in leading publications.
    Click here
    sabbaticus

  7. #7
    Diamond Member Blurock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Durban
    Posts
    4,151
    Thanks
    758
    Thanked 886 Times in 735 Posts
    Blog Entries
    7
    I have to agree with Dave. Although I see it a little different. The choices we make in life determine who we are and whether we will be successful or not.

    The big decisions are the ones that should set our goals. You have to decide whether you want to study and equip yourself for the job market, or just hope that something comes along. Do you work for yourself or for a boss? Which industry? Where do you want to stay? Do you want to marry and have children?

    The small decisions are the ones that can sink your future and derail your lifetime goals and ambitions;
    Do I go for a drink with my pals in stead of studying? Do I get drunk and wreck the place? Do I drink and drive and in the process cause an accident? Do I procrastinate on that big order and risk losing it? Do I give shoddy service because I am just too lazy for work today?

    The small foxes are the ones that ruin the vineyard...
    Excellence is not a skill; its an attitude...

  8. #8
    Diamond Member Citizen X's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    lenasia
    Posts
    3,404
    Thanks
    868
    Thanked 701 Times in 613 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Blurock View Post
    I have to agree with Dave. Although I see it a little different. The choices we make in life determine who we are and whether we will be successful or not.

    The big decisions are the ones that should set our goals. You have to decide whether you want to study and equip yourself for the job market, or just hope that something comes along. Do you work for yourself or for a boss? Which industry? Where do you want to stay? Do you want to marry and have children?

    The small decisions are the ones that can sink your future and derail your lifetime goals and ambitions;
    Do I go for a drink with my pals in stead of studying? Do I get drunk and wreck the place? Do I drink and drive and in the process cause an accident? Do I procrastinate on that big order and risk losing it? Do I give shoddy service because I am just too lazy for work today?

    The small foxes are the ones that ruin the vineyard...
    "Just" much the same like the Jessica de Santos debacle, she made a seemingly small decision(in her mind) that had far reaching consequences!
    “Ubuntu is the essence of being humane" Desmond Tutu
    Spelling mistakes and/or typographical errors I found in leading publications.
    Click here
    sabbaticus

  9. #9
    Diamond Member Blurock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Durban
    Posts
    4,151
    Thanks
    758
    Thanked 886 Times in 735 Posts
    Blog Entries
    7
    Quote Originally Posted by Vanash Naick View Post
    "Just" much the same like the Jessica de Santos debacle, she made a seemingly small decision(in her mind) that had far reaching consequences!
    I do not think the mind was engaged when she made that statement, only the mouth.
    Excellence is not a skill; its an attitude...

  10. #10
    Diamond Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    6,329
    Thanks
    426
    Thanked 978 Times in 795 Posts
    Define big vs small descision.

    A person can decide to become a plumber or an electrician ? big descision
    A person decides to have a cup of coffee at a coffee shop on the way home and becomes paralized in an accident ? small decision

    You sit at the coffee shop and recognize somebody important and strike up a conversation - no outcome...small descision? ...you become world famous and makes lots of money...big descision?

    The only really important criteria is whether the descision had a pivotal effect on your life.

    You drink and drive --
    no accident - not pivotal
    huge accident and you kill 5 people - pivotal

    ...and as I said before, there is simply no way of knowing which descisions (big, small, on a whim) will have a pivotal effect on your life. aka Jessica de Santos - one childish remark made in the wrong ear and her career is is tatters.

Page 1 of 8 123 ... LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. What should I charge for this picture?
    By Neville Bailey in forum General Business Forum
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 25-Jul-12, 12:59 PM
  2. When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great!
    By Justloadit in forum General Chat Forum
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 30-Nov-11, 12:21 AM
  3. What is wrong with this picture
    By adrianh in forum General Chat Forum
    Replies: 27
    Last Post: 30-Aug-10, 08:20 AM
  4. Profile Picture
    By sterne.law@gmail.com in forum Administrative issues
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 04-Dec-09, 12:27 PM

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •