There was a time – a time our parents surely remember – where every additional Dollar in the wallet led to an increase in the quality of life. Most of us have taken over this “the-more-the-better” mindset and follow it as sheer habit. However, that time has passed and Americans today choose among more options in more parts of life than has ever been possible before. It is only logical to think that if some choice is good, more is better; people who care about having infinite options will benefit from them, and those who don’t can always just ignore the 152 brands of SAT prep books that they have never tried. However, with the growing amount of choices presented to us in our “the-more-the-better-principled” society, it is simply no longer rational – nor is it possible – to be able to make the “best” choice; the alternative? Settle for average.
Although there is nothing wrong with striving for the best, per se, times have changed and the line between the best and the better has become hazy. There is no longer a clear choice for anything as more and more choices pop up each and every day. Those that strive for the best will find that making a decision becomes increasingly daunting as the number of choices rise. Worse, after making a selection, they are nagged by the alternatives that they did not have time to investigate. In the end, they are more likely to make better objective choices than those that settle for the “average” but get less satisfaction from them. When reality requires these individuals to compromise – to end their search and decide on something – apprehension about what might have been takes over.
The conclusion? In today’s society, it is simply inefficient and, quite frankly, almost impossible, to make the absolute “best” choice for anything. The effort and time required to make such inquests simply do not outweigh the benefits. Thus, the man that settles for the “average” will, ultimately, be more satisfied than the man that always strives for...