📘 Part 3: Making decisions

This episode's vocabulary

Culturally sensitive (adjective) – respecting the differences between cultures. → It's important to be culturally sensitive when discussing traditions.

Individually sensitive (adjective) – taking into account individual differences. → The teacher provided individually sensitive guidance for each student.

Powerless (adjective) – having no ability or authority to influence. → Teenagers often feel powerless in family disputes.

Progressively (adverb) – gradually, step by step. → He progressively improved his skills over the years.

Embrace (verb) – to accept or welcome something willingly. → She decided to embrace the challenge of moving abroad.

Individuality (noun) – the qualities that make someone unique. → Art classes encourage children to express their individuality.

Meaningful (adjective) – having real importance or value. → Volunteering for charity can be a meaningful experience.

No man’s an island (phrase) – nobody can live or succeed completely alone. → When managing a project, remember that no man’s an island.

Consult (verb) – to seek advice or information. → She consulted her mentor before making the decision.

Alternative perspective (phrase) – a different way of looking at something. → Listening to an alternative perspective can help solve problems.

Ill-advised (adjective) – not sensible or wise. → It was ill-advised to invest all his money in one stock.

Self-assured (adjective) – confident in one’s own abilities. → She was self-assured during the presentation.

Overconfident (adjective) – excessively sure of oneself. → He was overconfident and underestimated the difficulty of the exam.

Shy (adjective) – nervous or timid in social situations. → The shy student avoided answering questions in class.

Prudent (adjective) – showing careful judgment or wisdom. → It was prudent to save some money for emergencies.

Hesitant (adjective) – unsure or slow to act. → He was hesitant to speak in front of the large audience.

Seek guidance (phrase) – to look for advice or help. → Students often seek guidance from their teachers.

Decision-making (noun) – the process of making choices. → Good decision-making skills are essential in business.

Risk-averse (adjective) – unwilling to take risks. → She is risk-averse when it comes to financial investments.

Deliberate (verb) – to think carefully before making a decision. → The committee will deliberate before announcing the winner.

Questions and Answers

Maria: What important decisions should be made by teenagers themselves?

Rory: I suppose that's pretty culturally and individually sensitive, really. In some places, young people have the right to decide when to get married and who to get married to, and vote in government elections and have children. But elsewhere, they're pretty powerless. So I suppose it depends on the sort of society you want to have, really.

Maria: And could you give an example?

Rory: Well, at least in my society, we're supposed to value individual decisions and encourage people to embrace their individuality. So all of the key decisions in life could be made by teenagers as they progressively get older. So, for example, in my country, you can join the army and you can get married at the age of 16 and you can vote at the age of 18. So they're older teenagers, but they're still teenagers making these choices because they're choices that the individual makes for themselves.

Maria: What kind of decisions do you think are meaningful?

Rory: At least from my perspective, the ones that are actual exercises of individual power to improve your lives. So by that, I mean, they're like actions that allow you to make things better for yourself. So something like, I don't know, buying the latest phone to look cool isn't meaningful because it was decided for you by other people, whereas, oh, maybe joining a gym to improve your overall health and well-being. That is a meaningful decision because you did it for yourself and no one made you.

Maria: Why do some people like to ask others for advice?

Rory: Well, no man's an island, and you can't have perfect knowledge of everything. So it makes sense to consult with people who have some experience or who might have an alternative perspective to make sure you're not doing something really ill-advised.

Maria: Some people never ask anybody for advice. Why?

Rory: Well, there are a couple of possibilities. They could be really self-assured, not just without warrant. I mean, they might actually have the experience to allow them to make the decision easily. And so they're not worried about the opinions of other people. Or they could just be massively overconfident and know nothing. And then, of course, you have people who are quite shy and reserved in nature, and they don't want to ask for advice because they're afraid of looking silly or stupid. So that could prevent them from doing that.

Maria: Do people like to ask for advice more for their personal life or their work?

Rory: You'd have to ask them, frankly. I suppose it makes sense for them to ask about personal things, since there might be a fear of looking incompetent at work if you have to ask about things you should know more about because they're included in the purview of your job. By contrast, I can also see why people might not seek out other opinions on personal matters, maybe just to avoid embarrassment. But my own experience of people avoiding asking for advice has been in the workplace, for the reasons that I mentioned; they are worried about looking incompetent.

Maria: Why are some people unwilling to make quick decisions?

Rory: Some decisions can't be made hastily, can they? So it's probably just them being prudent or waiting for an ideal time. Of course, some people may be overly cautious, out of fear as well. But I think in general, people are more careful about these things rather than fearful.