Many people seek help because of decision crises involving relationships, careers, and family ties. Pros-and-cons reasoning often guides decisions, including financial concerns, expert research, or quick AI searches. The fantasy of an "unlived life" exerts strong influence, creating guilt about unmet desires and potential. One faulty assumption is that life should satisfy all desires; instead, unmet needs and unlived possibilities are inevitable. Kierkegaard's image of crossroads captures the human condition of taking decisive leaps without certainty. Choices leave echoes of the roads not taken, and authenticity often shapes whether decisions feel right, challenging the idea of clearly bad choices.
Should I stay with my partner or leave them to pursue a better sex life? Should I stick with my tiring but stable job or risk an adventurous new career? Should I cut off a toxic family member or try to make the relationship work? In therapy, or with friends or family, we may weigh pros and cons and arrive at what seems like a logical decision.
One faulty assumption behind our decision troubles is the notion that we can have everything in life, and that life should be about meeting all of our desires. When we feel unsatisfied, we may even feel guilty for not living up to our potential or living life "to the fullest." The philosopher Kierkegaard spoke of this when he described life as a series of crossroads. To be human is to stand at these crossroads and to take decisive leaps without knowing the answer.
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