When Freedom of Choice No Longer Sets Us Free

24/5/2021 When Freedom Of Choice No Longer Sets Us Free | HuffPost Australia Life
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.
LIFE
When Freedom Of Choice No Longer Sets Us Free

In a world where women are banned from wearing a burkini or forced into
arranged marriages, and children are trafficked into slavery, and thousands die of
malnourishment and disease every day -- why are we, the privileged, so
unsatisfied?
By Kathy Parker
Writer, blogger, author. Speaker of love, grace, truth and hope
09/09/2016 03:22pm AEST | Updated September 12, 2016
JUPITERIMAGES
Hmmmm...
I've been thinking this week about privilege.
Because, the fact is, I'm privileged. Everyone I know is

privileged. So goddamn, sickeningly privileged. Privilege
creates discomfort within me. Because while so many all over
the world live in fear, violence, oppression, control and
persecution, we live with privilege, affluence and freedom.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/kathy-parker/when-freedom-of-choice-no-longer-sets-us-free_a_21468646/ 1/5
And yet, we aren't satisfied.
We're restless, agitated, impatient, unsettled, disappointed.
Why? In a world where women are banned from wearing a

burkini or forced into arranged marriages, and children are
trafficked into slavery, and thousands die of malnourishment
and disease every day -- why are we, the privileged, so
unsatisfied?
Nobody dictates us, controls us or oppresses us. We are

blessed with choice. So much choice it's ridiculous. Which of
my five pairs of jeans shall I wear today? The ones with the
buttons or zip fly? Skinny or boyfriend? The black coat or the
grey? Should we buy a house or rent? Where will we holiday
this summer? Two kids or three? Which restaurant should we
eat at tonight? Red wine or white? Latte or long black? Private
school or public? Go back to work or stay at home? Stay
married or go our separate ways? Which of the 78 cereals in
the breakfast aisle should I buy? Public health or private? Gel,
shellac or acrylic nails this week?
And suddenly, there are 28,496 different choices laid out

before us, choices that attach to us like strings, that pull us
every which-way until we can hardly think straight anymore,
until we feel compelled to consider every choice and weigh it
up in its entirety. Until we're frantic with choice. Until there is so
much choice, we are overwhelmed and no longer know which
choice to make. So we just don't make one. Instead we
become indecisive and apathetic.
We are no longer set free by choice, but paralysed by it.
See, with freedom comes choice. But the paradox of choice is

when we're given too much, we lose our freedom, and instead
become captive to our dissatisfaction.
For how do we know, in the face of so many choices, we made

the right one? Could we have made a better one? What if there
was a better option, and we missed it? How do we know we
didn't settle for less than we deserve? Suddenly the other
choices begin to look more attractive. No matter how great the
choice we made was, we somehow still feel let down,
disappointed. We should have made a different choice, one
that would have made us feel more fulfilled. We are no longer
satisfied, but restless and without content. There must be a
better choice out there.
Thankfully, we still have 28,495 choices to choose from until

we find that satisfaction we so desperately crave.
My head hurts with it all. I'm tired in the face of so many

choices that distract me, preoccupy me, consume me. I long for
a more simplistic life, to find the balance between extreme
oppression and extreme privilege. I long for contentment in
what I have and where I live and who I am. I long to come to a
place of rest, a place of stillness, where I am not lured by
choice and swayed by its fickle promise of unattainable
satisfaction.
I don't believe the answer is found in more. More choices don't

enable us more freedom, but imprison us to the endless pursuit
of supremacy. We come to believe what we have isn't enough,
and we must strive for which we are entitled -- more choices,
more money, more possession, more of what we've been told
we deserve. More, more, more.
More is not the answer. The answer is less.
For here in this place of less, we find simplicity. We find

gratitude and appreciation in what we have. Less clutter and
more space, more peace, more contentment. No longer
plagued by the seduction of choice, we find fulfillment and
satisfaction in our lives exactly as they are.
We must be mindful in our life of privilege, affluence and

freedom. For yes, with these things comes choice. But having
choice isn't synonymous with needing more. If we allow choice
to control us, it will. If we allow choice to breed dissatisfaction
in us, it will.
Instead, we must allow choice to once again liberate us. To

learn to live in balance and harmony with the freedom of
choice we have. To never forget that choice is a privilege
denied to many. To make the power of our choices count.
To live more simplistically that we may be less overwhelmed by

choice, and more overwhelmed by the satisfaction and
contentment we find in this life we are so blessed to live.
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Kathy Parker
Writer, blogger, author. Speaker of love, grace, truth and hope
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have
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24/5/2021 When Freedom Of Choice No Longer Sets Us Free | HuffPost Australia Life

09/09/2016 03:22pm AEST | Updated September 12, 2016

I've been thinking this week about privilege.

Because, the fact is, I'm privileged. Everyone I know is

And yet, we aren't satisﬁed.

We're restless, agitated, impatient, unsettled, disappointed.

Why? In a world where women are banned from wearing a

Nobody dictates us, controls us or oppresses us. We are

And suddenly, there are 28,496 diﬀerent choices laid out

We are no longer set free by choice, but paralysed by it.

See, with freedom comes choice. But the paradox of choice is

For how do we know, in the face of so many choices, we made

Thankfully, we still have 28,495 choices to choose from until

My head hurts with it all. I'm tired in the face of so many

I don't believe the answer is found in more. More choices don't

More is not the answer. The answer is less.

For here in this place of less, we ﬁnd simplicity. We ﬁnd

We must be mindful in our life of privilege, aﬄuence and

Instead, we must allow choice to once again liberate us. To

To live more simplistically that we may be less overwhelmed by

IDENTITY FOOD & DRINK

USER AGREEMENT (UPDATED) ABOUT US

CONTACT US PRIVACY (UPDATED)

Part of HuﬀPost News. ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.

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