Practice and making choices | Juwon Ogungbe

A sense of purpose or initiative develops through practice. Muscles need to be strengthened and processes experienced. Mistakes are likely to be made, but hopefully, they open up new vistas.

A child is sent to get a haircut. Cultural perceptions collide, when the barber produces a long sharp blade to shape the edges of his handiwork. The child is unhappy about having such a tool used on his head, but doesn’t feel he can say anything about it.

Before the next visit to the barber, the child raises the issue with a parent who is willing to listen. He is given permission to tell the barber not to use the blade on his head. The child learns there is room for negotiation.

Making good choices is a practice that is encouraged in some settings more than others. If a person feels he or she doesn’t have options, what is the point of living?

Compliance has its uses, but free will always wins out in the end.

Originally published at https://juwonogungbe.com on November 24, 2020.