If you could choose any one of these 3 options, which would it be?
Don’t be hasty to pick the one that sounds the most appealing, rather pick the one that would most likely answer the questions your soul is currently asking.
- The exact time and cause of your death
- The honest and unfiltered thoughts and everyone you’ve met
- The ability to relive any 24 hour period of your life
Difficult, isn’t it? You suddenly find yourselves at a crossroads, stuck between a multitude of choices, weighing out the advantages and disadvantages. Somebody once posed this same question to me, and strangely for the first time I was baffled, unable to provide a flawless and definitive answer. The more thought I gave it, the more I understood that I had no idea of the consequences that followed these situations. Furthermore, I was blind to my own desires and wishes.
So let’s break it down.
Option 1: The exact time and cause of your death
The obvious and most appealing aspect of this option would be total control, especially for all you control freaks. At first glance, it feels like the perfect choice: the initial fear that holds you back from trying anything new is gone, because you know it isn’t your time yet. Additionally, when you do come closer to that “expiration date,” unlike other people, you wouldn’t have the regret of not trying enough. Since the everyday anxiety of the unexpected has vanished, you’d be able to unlock a part of yourself once kept covered by the fear of death.
However, there’s another side to this story. The moment your end date is uncovered, every day would become more of a checklist of experiences you want to cover. Your life would become a countdown, and rather than living it, the overwhelming paranoia of the end would soon become too much to bear. Of course, you would spend an unhealthy amount of time trying to cheat that end date, analyzing all the possibilities. Thereby, anyone who chooses this option must ask themselves: Are you really chasing true freedom, or just a chance to control an unpredictable world at the cost of your peace of mind?
Option 2: The honest and unfiltered thoughts and everyone you’ve met
Isn’t it enticing? Or rather scary? Would you be able to bear the weight of truth, all for absolute clarity about people’s opinions and thoughts? On one hand, you would never have to wonder if a friend is genuine, and all the second-guessing suddenly vanishes. On the other hand, you’d finally have to face the blatant truth: a love that you always thought was pure and filled with passion could have just been masked by deceit… and slowly a wave of realizations would come crashing down on you. Indefinitely, you’d be able to navigate every new friendship with perfect precision, but the messy old ties are the ones that are the most difficult to let go. Human minds are naturally chaotic, taking every small detail, comment, and emotion into account. Soon enough, every unspoken criticism would erode your self-esteem, becoming unhealthy. Thereby, whoever chooses to opt for this option should surely ask themselves… Do you really crave authentic connections, or does the idea of betrayal scare you so much that you’d sacrifice your own emotional peace for it?Â
Option 3: The ability to relive any 24 hour period of your life
It’s simply blissful—a day where the overbearing number of thoughts was finally hushed by the soulful laughter of our friends and family, or rather a day where you were truly and completely at peace with yourself. Wouldn’t we all kill to be children again, back when our only worries were that mom didn’t buy us that Choki Choki or that dad refused to buy us that dress? That heavy ache of grief and regret would finally be soothed the moment we are transported back to a memory that time stole from us.
However, the moment those 24 hours end, you would snap back into reality. Re-experiencing that moment wouldn’t bring you peace; rather, it would create more unrest within you, strengthening your grip on the past even further. You’d be trapped in nostalgia, and instead of living in the present, you’d be living in a juxtaposed world of past and present. Yet, there exists one silver lining: the possibility that reliving a perfect day could finally give you closure, allowing you to live your present life to its full potential. Therefore, an individual who chooses this option must ask themselves: Are you truly seeking closure, or are you so fixated on your past that you have forgotten to live your present?
Option 4: The true meaning and purpose of your life
The big question around which every action, every experience, and every relationship is centered: TO FIND THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES. More than I would like to admit, this question keeps me up at night. You would never have to wonder if you are on the wrong path or making an incorrect choice. That existential dread that plagues so many human minds would finally be vanquished, replaced by direction, clarity, and inner peace. However, this takes away the beauty of uncovering the answer yourself—and how that journey shapes you as an individual. The path to discovering this answer is extremely important, as only then are we truly prepared to accept whatever the outcome may be.
So, whoever chooses this option must ask themselves… Are you truly looking for fulfillment, or just an easy way out to eliminate uncertainty and doubt?
Do these choices still feel equally enticing? Or does the thrill and unpredictability of life suddenly feel like the more obvious choice?Â
Now, after this thorough analysis, I leave the final choice to you.