What can we have a choice about? What are the criteria? What determines whether or not we could have a choice about something? Not easy questions to answer, which require some serious contemplation. However, there is a simpler way of looking at it, and that is we only have a choice - or, rather, could have a choice - about those things that we have created and being aware that we are creating it.

We don’t create the weather, or gravity, or what the President of South Africa does, or that we require oxygen to stay alive, or the fact that everything in the universe eventually - inevitably - comes to an end. Thus, we just have to accept it for what it is and realize that we only have a choice regarding the things that we create.

What do we create? Far more than we realize, which can be indicated as the following areas of beingness…

1. Emotions and feelings and other internal states
2. Our actions and behaviours
3. The people and situations we attract or become attracted to
4. The meanings we assign to what happens to us and around us

Now, if we pause for a moment, place the rat race on hold for a while and seriously think about each of the above areas of beingness, we will realize that each area covers a lot of ground. They do cover everything that we could have a choice about, and if we exercise our power of choice in these four areas of beingness, our lifestyle will be infinitely better!

Why are these four areas potentially a choice? Because…

1. We are creating them! They come from something that we frequently do.
2. And if - right now - it doesn’t seem that we are creating them… it's because we are creating them automatically, outside of our conscious awareness.

Everything in this world is temporary. Every person, situation or thing doesn't last forever and eventually comes to an end, goes away or falls apart. We have no choice about this! Even though it causes much human suffering, it’s built into all of Creation.

We also have no choice about the weather, earthquakes, the sun, gravity, that we’re sensitive and need a certain temperature range or we can’t live, that we need food, water, shelter, love, …etc.

We also can’t do much about what other people think and do. It’s really hard to get people to act in a manner that you want them to act. Other people have their own agendas, and that agenda often gets in the way of our ability to get what we desire and want.

There are - of course - some things that, although we can’t control them, we can influence them. We can influence other people by becoming more assertive, persuasive, establish a common strata and set an example. However, this is limited by the fact that there are so many other people and we don’t have access to most of them. And, many people will be resistant to our influence… after all, they each have their agenda in life.

We can’t do anything about the fact that our bodies are delicate and become injured or sick. We can sleep, relax, exercise and follow a balanced diet to establish better health… though we are still un-permanent and eventually will get old and perish.