No One Has A Clear Path Ahead
We operate in a fog of war, a world of imperfect information. This lack of accurate information naturally leads to us making decisions that seemed good at the moment, but after the fact we see it as folly. In other words we look to the choices made by our past selves and are filled with the regrets of hindsight bias.
For those unfamiliar, hindsight bias can be defined by coulda, shoulda, woulda, that is we wish we had made a better decision back then by utilizing the information you’ve acquired after the fact. Of course this is impossible which is why hindsight bias is called a bias.
Having said that, it is always important to note that it is wise to make the best informed decision that we can now with the information available as making a decision is better then making no decision at all. However, know too that new input is just around the corner, therefore we must plan, but leave room for adjustment.
Another way this has been said is that we are often blessed by unanswered prayers. Now let’s not get too deep into anything spiritual/religious for the purpose of this conversation, but the point is, these prayers are asking a higher being for some material gain. This could be wealth, a new relationship, new business, etc. Basically anything that leads to a gain on our end.
A Wish Can Turn Into A Curse
But have you ever heard of the Greek myth of Midas? Midas wished for riches, that everything he touched would turn to gold (Midas touch) and in the end he turned his own child to gold and starved to death. Careful what you wish for.
So what we can take away from this information asymmetry that we have in relation to the world around us is this: Yes we must make decisions in the here and now as these decisions are what will get us to where we want to go, but we must remain flexible in our approach.
Kingston S. Lim
July 28, 2021
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Kingston S. Lim 