When I consider how to make better choices, I resonate with what T.S. Eliot wrote in The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism: “To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man’s life.”
The question as a filter is: What is the useful thing to do, the courageous thing to say, and the beautiful thing to contemplate? Or, asked another way: What is good, what is true and what is beautiful?
As I previously shared, I love questions, as they open up new possibilities that I may not even be aware of until I start asking and exploring them. Questions often lead to more questions, which lead to more questions. A never ending path of following my curiosity.
Questions can also be a filter for action. For example, when choosing between two seemingly desirable (or undesirable) choices, how do I know which one to choose? Asking these three questions about each of my choices may be helpful: Is it good? Is it true? Is it beautiful? I also like these questions: Is it kind? Is it helpful? If I can’t answer “Yes” then maybe I need to make another choice.
By choosing questions that align with how we want to show up in the world, we can make better choices to move us in that direction.
Kindly,
David