/An act of choosing/the right or ability to choose/
Presently I have decided to go with two definitions given for the current word-expo. With that said here we go – Imagine that you are a child of not more than 6 years of age in a candy section of a super store with your paps or moms out on a little shopping spree to stoke up the supplies at home.
By this time at your age it has been hammered into your soft snug skull that you cannot demand sweeties until the starches, oils, spreads and meats and drinks have been acquired. Unless of course if you are full of tricky tantrums when you do not get your way with your folks and are able to demand the goodies immediately when you arrive at the super store because your parents yields to your manipulations, this qualifies you to a spoiled brat strand. Ideally speaking that is, the second scenario is not appealing to people who want their young to survive as adults. Good natured adults like your folks have made hay while time allowed, they broke you ‘’cause they want their little one to grow up in a responsible way and like the Setswana saying goes le gong le ojwa lo sa le metsi (you have to guide the growth of a tree so that it does not grow crocked and not bear fruits once it sets).
So you wait your turn at each shopping spree outing. And when your chance come in the candy section where one is bombarded by chips, chocolates, liquorices and the many more crunchy things and other things that make the mouth watery interesting to the tongue a fact dawns on you. You cannot pack the lot of those shelves with you in your pockets or shove them in the trolley for the walking-taking. Such a lot of sugar spiking goodies comes tagged with a limit especially when you are a null grader and some adult or two control your undisclosed budget.
What is straight-forward-right and certainly certain with the angle of this picture is that if you are good these one meter something tall beings called your parents will procure the sugar level spikers for you. The trick is in the choosing. You have to choose well and wisely. You might consider buying something worthwhile the slow’mo chew, like a pack of mints or smarties (now those chocolates are nice, they have an extra candy coating on them [now I have let you in on a little secret of mine {who has not made a stop at the smarties?}])
From your limited choice will come experience and this is a guarantee. Whether you will go the dried fruit range in the next shopping spree in pursuit of good health and miss out self indulgence in things all good and hazardous or perhaps you will brave it and pursue the experience of the galaxy of tasty sweetness – the certainty of the matter in this feeble plot is that for some time you’ll be stuck with your choice. In choice what can be managed is the mind so that it (vis-à-vis us) is always savvy that it has a choice.
1 June, winter
Mmutle Arthur Kgokong © 2011
Intraparadox 