The zombie writhes and struggles to reach you, arms outstretched and ragged mouth snapping with the anticipation of tearing into your flesh. You stand there on the wooden balcony watching it without fear; It's impaled through the chest on a tree branch and cannot reach you. For a moment you contemplate its struggle, hunger for flesh despite it's dead state...Nothing changes really you think. It's hungry and so are you...The zombie apocalypse is not as fun as you thought it might be...
This scene played out on a TV show the other day. I was watching Fear the Walking Dead the spin-off prequel to AMC's the Walking Dead. One of the survivors was standing, as above, just watching the zombie. For some perspective these people, the survivors, have gone through some pretty tough times, have killed many walkers as they call the zombies and their fair share of humans in their struggle to survive. The survivor didn't kill the zombie though. She walked away. A good decision as it turned out as later in that episode the zombie, by default and with no input or thought of its own, actually helped to save the survivors' life. Yay for the zombie and survivor alike. However...
Throughout the whole season of episodes I found myself getting increasingly annoyed with the survivors and, more accurately, the decisions they made. OK, I'm not so naive as to think the producers of the show thought that those decisions were good ones; I mean, quite obviously they were designed to build drama and excitement for the people watching the show but some of the decisions were monumentally stupid. Stupid on a Brobdingnagian scale!
Whilst it's just a television show, and therefore fictional, I can draw a parallel to real life. I know many people who have made terrible decisions, sure they may not have ended with loss of life like in the show, however they have resulted in some pretty terrible consequences. I'll give you an example.
On the show a couple of survivors needed to get from one place to the next through zombie, and possibly rogue-human, infested areas; A minor road, some forest and a small town. So...Do they move tactically, scouting their surroundings and with measured haste keeping an eye and ear out for trouble? Nope, they plod along down the centre white-line on the road heads down and chatting about something totally unrelated to the life and death situation that they find themselves in. Ok, so probably a bad decision right? Yep, they got attacked and one died, the other being captured.
Now in real life a person is driving along in their car. It's early evening, so not well lit and it's raining. The person is running late and driving 10 kilometers over the limit to make up time. The phone beeps and the driver reaches for it to take a look as the beep could very-well be another like on the post they just put on Facebook. Whilst scrolling through the phone the car runs wide, clips the kerb and flicks back into the road causing the car behind to swerve. That second car spins out of control in the wet conditions and mounts the kerb...Right where two 9 year old girls are waiting to cross the road. The car hits them broadside flinging one 20 metres away to become impaled on a wrought iron fence and the other is pinned between the vehicle and the bus stop shelter. She survives for a few minutes but her life expires in pain and trauma.
This is may sound like an extreme case however it probably isn't all that extreme at all. I mean there are millions of cars on the road, millions of drivers with phones and millions of kids waiting to cross the road right? Bad decisions get made all the time.
How many times have you checked your phone whilst driving or seen someone else do it? How many people drive drunk, run across roads without looking, take drugs, spend more money than they earn, have affairs despite being in relationships, steal from their employer, commit crimes, disseminate their naked images all over the internet in a bid for some attention...You know what I mean? How many people make decisions to do or not do a certain thing...Billions is the answer. Decisions can change lives though right?
We all make decisions every day of our lives. Some will have far-reaching implications and some not, just like the survivors on Fear the Walking Dead. They can decide to move tactically for instance, taking the knowledge and understanding of their situation into consideration or they can not...Either way the decision will bring a result. Life or death possibly in their case. Just like in life humans can make a decision...Continue to smoke cigarettes despite the early signs of emphysema, or not...It's a decision that will bring a result either way.
The process of deciding a course of action usually involves gathering facts, determining their collective possibilities and outcomes and then taking the decision forward. It shouldn't be as difficult as it is however sometimes that is the case. Having said that though, some decisions are pretty clear and simple. Even not making a decision is a decision in itself and will have a result.
You can be a decision maker...Yes, I know some of you may say you procrastinate and can't make decisions but I digress...Choosing to procrastinate is a decision. Making decisions is a part of life and making good ones, or the best possible decision based on the facts to hand in a timely manner, is preferable over no decision at all.
By the way...Don't drive and check your phone. It may end someones life, yours included possibly, and land you in jail for a long long time...Which is what you'd deserve. But if you have a valid reason then it's all good. Go ahead...I mean, who cares where you're going as long as you check that text message right?