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DECISION: MAKING UP YOUR MIND
Alex Badion
Class of 2001, Eastern Visayas State University - Tanauan Campus
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education
I was thinking about the subject on what to write when I suddenly remembered a famous saying. The famous
and well known, Plato, once said “A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers”. It was during
high school when my Social Studies teacher told us to do a brainstorming activity using a guided pattern as part
of her teaching strategy. I could clearly recall what I have shared with the group that a practical decision is
more likely to make with no numerical knowledge than with numbers. I also emphasized that there's no such
thing as a good decision. It’s because numbers could be considered a subset of knowledge. For example, if you
could quantify the value of choosing, for example, the right person to marry to share your happiness in life,
then numbers could be invaluable in the procurement of a good decision. The problem lay with the fact that
there's no mathematical formula available for calculating the acquisition of happiness, therefore, knowledge
and intuition must be employed. However, it could have been a biased opinion if I would not have understood
other ideas and concepts of my classmates. A viewpoint, on the other side, a person is much more likely to
make a logical decision with numbers than non-numerical knowledge and he can choose to value the essence
of logic over practical matters.
As years have gone by, decision making was always a part of me and it is still until as of this writing. Our
cognitive skills are always at stake to arrive a specific decision, if not an accurate one. I cannot understand that
sometimes decision simply means a judgment. It may be a quick conclusion or people regard a notion “you
jumped to a conclusion”. This hasty finding is considered useless. It’s wrong, inaccurate and no sense at all.
Other people will disagree simply because it was not a good decision. In this way, we feel regret. We should
remember that every decision making process produces a final result, a final outcome and this will lead into
action. It is a fact that we should be very careful in analyzing both sides. One side maybe favorable and the
other one is unfavorable. You halt into a fifty-fifty situation and you consider these questions and ask yourself
“Which is more important? Which is better? Which is more appropriate?” The ability to decide is a great factor
to think about. You should have sufficient knowledge to weigh things in all aspects. According to Jim
Nightingale, author of Think Smart-Act Smart, “we simply decide without thinking much about the decision
process." It means to say that, most decisions are made unconsciously. In addition to his viewpoint, he
explained that in a controlled environment, such as a classroom, instructors encourage students to weigh pros
and cons before making a decision. However in the real world, most of our decisions are made unconsciously in
our mind because frankly, it would take too much time to sit down and list the pros and cons of each decision
we must make on a daily basis.
Whatever ways that we have to come up a decision are key factors and essentials to reach a good and wise
decision. We need them in order to attain a partial judgment. A well decision is a product of careful and
intellectual analysis. It is the beat of our hearts and the control of our minds that provide the final conclusion.
We need time to give a result. It is not a one-step process to understand the whole scenario. How do you make
up your mind to give the final verdict in a certain situation is what decision calls for a reliable and truthful
result!
Questions for discussion:
1. What do you mean by “a good decision”? Use your own ideas/opinions.
2. Why do we need to have a careful analysis before giving a decision?
3. How does decision making affect your life?
4. Why is decision making important?
5. Explain this maxim by Plato: “A good decision is based on knowledge and not on
numbers”.