Life and death decisions

‘Life and death’ decisions most often are split second decisions. We encounter a situation and need to decide our very next step that very second; and whichever way we choose will have great consequences. Perhaps even be the difference between life and death. Our own, or that of someone else.
Perhaps most commonly, decisions like that are encountered in traffic. We see something happening right in front of us and need to decide and act right that moment in order to avoid an accident ~ or worse. But in everybody’s life there are those moments in which we have an opportunity to make that decision in an instant that will allow us to keep living life as we have known it up to that moment. Or not.

This may mean that we confront our demise and embark upon the journey into that other realm…

More often though, it turns out that in that second we have made a choice that will change our lives forever. For good or bad; for better or for worse…

Observing other people going through a process like that ~ the spilt second decision, and the life altering consequences that follow ~ it sometimes seems that neither the decision, nor the consequences are all that life-shattering.
This suggests that those ‘life and death decisions’ are intensely personal and connected to our life lessons and our unique, individual path through life.

For instance in the TV program ‘Shark Tank’.
People who are daring enough to partake in the program and pitch their product, almost every time are confronted with the chance to make that choice right there and then between the offers to finance their business such that they can reach the next step ~ whatever that next step is.
And at that very moment, it is almost as if their eyes turn vacant; their minds turn blank…
Any offer they would accept will change their (business) life forever, and yet they cannot quite see into which direction it will ultimately end up going. But there is no turning back…

One might say that these are not truly ‘life and death decisions’.
After all, in these type of decisions there is hardly ever any mortal danger to be encountered.

This is true. However, how much does our life have to change own order for it to give us that ‘before and after’ feeling?
How much does it take for us to realize that our lives will never be the same again?
How often have we said: “But I was a different person, back then”?

What we are saying is that we have put to rest part of our ‘previous’ lives so that we could embark upon our next adventure on our personal path. And more often than not, the decision that got us there was in a sense a ‘life and death decision’!
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