There is this story about Buridan's donkey. He is faced with the dilemma of having to choose between a haystack and a pail of water, but he can't decide whether he is more hungry or more thirsty. He stands there contemplating his options and is paralyzed with indecision. In the end, Buridan's donkey dies of both starvation and thirst.
I've been thinking about this story, because I have felt paralyzed with ambivalence for some time, unsure what to do and where to invest my energy. I think incessantly about options and come to no conclusion. It is both yes and no at the same time... Things look equally appealing and unappealing, and I end up feeling stuck.
However I have now made some decisions in the past months, such as taking a break from an office job and going travelling. I had many options to keep working in Ottawa, and I chose not to. What the story doesn't say is if you give a donkey a haystack and a pail of water, it will both eat and drink at the same time until the hay and the water are gone.
This is the story of Buridan's donkey and how he moves from indecision to eating and drinking all he wants. The first stop is a Vipassana retreat in Sutton from July 1 to July 12.
