Consider the consequences of our actions. For every action there is a reaction. From childhood, different variations of these "words of wisdom" are drilled into our heads at home and at school. Even now, as a supply teacher, I find myself sharing the "think of the consequences of your behaviour" gem on the regular to students of all ages.
But I wonder if this nugget of wisdom ever holds me back from taking risks or chances on things in life that could make me happy.
I started calling all of this into question with today's journal activity. When asked to fasten two pages together, instead of just going for it, I stopped and said: "But if I do that, then you won't be able to read this page anymore!" and "But if I do that, then I will have ripped up this page for nothing!" What I ended up doing was making a compromise. (Please feel free to judge me for talking to, and compromising with, an inanimate object... I do).
I stapled the pages together in a way that still showcases the torn strips and the instructions on the following page. I'm not sure it's exactly what the author of the journal had in mind, but my constant need to evaluate the consequences of my actions lead me to act in a way that had a similar result but with less "negative consequences." (I use the quotation marks because, let's face it, they're hardly negative consequences... It's just a book after all. But I'm trying to make a point).My point is (see?), that it likely would have been a lot more fun and less work on my part to just act. Get the glue and smoosh those pages together without worrying about what comes after. It's a really appealing thought, and I wonder if sometimes it's better for me to not analyze every single consequence of every single action.
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