The Power of Positive Choices and Taking Control |
Billions of people use the internet every day.
Every user is responsible for their choices on how to engage.
How others choose to use the internet is completely outside of your control.
Billions of people use the internet every day. Yet each person’s choice to enter this global technological environment begins with a single self-empowering action, that of turning on a device and choosing to look, listen, and read what appears on the screen.
Universally, the internet does not approach you; it is you who chooses to turn on the internet device. The moment you do, you have chosen to enter the world of the internet, a world that you do not control.
In terms of this technological process, what others choose to present and publish on the internet is entirely outside your power and control. However, what you choose to watch, listen to, or read on the internet is within your control and power.
This insight is the foundation of personal responsibility and self-empowerment. In terms of the internet, you cannot control the presentation or existence of any content others present. However, in absolute terms, you do control, and you do have power over your thoughts, choices, and actions.
Agency is present in that you are the one who turns the device on or off, and you are the one who chooses what to read or view on the internet. When you consciously and deliberately choose to engage — or disengage — with what is on the internet, this self-initiated conscious act of choice is the universality of agency.
Agency is the conscious capacity to direct one’s thinking, choices, and actions. It is this internal, conscious power that originates intrinsically within the individual and enables the individual to act with self-initiated, self-directed, and self-empowering intentionality. In absolute, immutable terms, agency means that you are responsible for and you have the power over your thoughts, utterances, decisions, responses, behaviors, and choices.
Responsibility Theory expresses this universal truth, which starts with the following question: “What am I responsible for, and what power do I have?” In response to this question, Responsibility Theory presents the following self-empowering answer: “I am responsible for, and I’ve got the power over, what I think, do, say, learn, and choose.”
In relation to the internet, you have absolutely no control or power over what others think, do, say, view, listen to, write, present, or choose. Plus — at the same time — you have no control or power over the internet itself. However, you do — in absolute terms — have complete control and power over how you choose to interact with the internet. All of which begins if you choose to turn the device on. All of what follows occurs as a result of your choices.
Choices, Power, Control, Consequences
You can choose to look at, listen to, and read anything you want on the internet. If, however, you do choose to look, listen, and read on the internet, you have the power and the control to select what you want to look at, listen to, and read.
Further to this, you can, of course, choose not to look, listen, or read anything at all. What this then self-evidently means is that the choices, the control, and the power of your thoughts and actions are owned by you.
To See or Not to See, That Is The Choice
With this in mind, it is important to note that psychological research informs us that you cannot “unsee” anything, and you cannot “unread” anything. Once something enters your conscious awareness, it becomes part of your cognitive and emotional experience. Therefore, use your power to control what you decide to see or read because, as the research informs, there will be consequences.
The consequences that will take place will involve the inescapable universal reality that once you have chosen to listen to, see, or read anything (for which you will be responsible), the conscious, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, and behavioral effects of that choice will also belong to you. As noted (and importantly), you cannot “unsee” or “unread” anything (Brewin et al., 2010; Brady et al., 2008; Bushman & Anderson, 2002; Dehaene et al., 2006; Kintsch, 1988; Wegner, 1994). Therefore, before any action is taken, stop and think before you choose. And once you make that choice, note well, there will be consequences.
Applied Considerations
“I think, therefore I am (Descartes). I am what I think, do, say, and choose” (Purje, 2014).
So, where to from here regarding life and choices? With this question in mind, consider the powerful insight from Viktor Frankl, who lived through circumstances beyond human comprehension. In the wake of these unimaginable conditions, Dr. Frankl wrote the book Man’s Search for Meaning.
In his book, Frankl presented the following insight: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.”
With this freedom in place, what type of consequences do you want from your choices? After all, you are responsible for your choices (Purje, 2014).
“You cannot always control circumstances, but you can control your own thoughts” — Charles Popplestone
“You cannot always control circumstances, but you can control your own thoughts” — Charles Popplestone
“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” — Brian Tracy
“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” — Brian Tracy
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” — Anonymous
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” — Anonymous
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt “We must become the change we want to see.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“We must become the change we want to see.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Always choose wisely because, as noted, you are responsible for, and you’ve got the power over, what you think, do, say, learn, and choose, and, ultimately, you are also responsible for the consequences of your choices and actions (Purje, 2014).
Brewin, C. R., Gregory, J. D., Lipton, M., & Burgess, N. (2010). Intrusive images in psychological disorders: characteristics, neural mechanisms, and treatment implications. Psychological review, 117(1), 210-232. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2009-25263-005.pdf
Brady, T. F., Konkle, T., Alvarez, G. A., & Oliva, A. (2008). Visual long-term memory has a massive storage capacity for object details. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(38), 14325-14329. https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.0803390105
Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2002). Violent video games and hostile expectations: A test of the general aggression model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(12), 1679-1686.
Dehaene, S., Changeux, J. P., Naccache, L., Sackur, J., & Sergent, C. (2006). Conscious, preconscious, and subliminal processing: a testable taxonomy. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(5), 204-211.
Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press.
Kintsch, W. (1988). The role of knowledge in discourse comprehension: a construction-integration model. Psychological Review, 95(2), 163-182.
Purje, R. (2014). Responsibility Theory (Who’s got the power?) Amazon/Kindle.
Wegner, D. M. (1994). Ironic processes of mental control. Psychological Review, 101(1), 34-52.
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