Williamson Fund
Impromptu
Prize Winners
Williamson Fund
Impromptu
Prize Winners
First-Prize Essays Wednesday
The Price of Bad Decisions
Natalie Welsh
Cardinal Mooney High SchoolEvery day, millions of conscious and unconscious decisions are made. The outcomes are left up to fate and chance, and the results can often be out of control. Even book characters can make poor decisions. The characters of Grandma in Ellen Foster and Chris McCandless in Into the Wild each make a personal decision that creates numerous difficulties for themselves and others.Ellen Foster’s grandmother makes a pivotal decision to remain embittered about her daughter’s suicide and her son-in-law’s refusal to get help for his wife. The grandmother’s hate extends to Ellen, whom she feels looks just like her father and, thus, is just as evil as he is. Ellen’s grandmother’s rage includes blackmailing Ellen’s uncles for information regarding Ellen’s deadbeat father. The grandmother resents having to take care of Ellen and fails to show her any love. What Grandma should have done is to accept Ellen as herself and not project her father’s bad qualities onto her. The grandmother could also have made peace with the fact of her daughter’s death. Making this alternate decision could have enabled Grandma to live the rest of her life happily, instead of as a bitter old woman who refuses to let sunshine into her life.
Another character who was unable to make a reasonable decision was Chris McCandless. He made several fatal mistakes in his Alaskan journey: not bringing enough food or a radio, traveling alone, and not being able to fend for himself in the wild. McCandless faced certain death, and although it appears that he expected to die, going into the Alaskan wilds unprepared is certainly a poor decision. This traveler could have followed some common sense survival guidelines: Bring enough supplies, always have a partner, and make certain that you have enough skills to stay alive. McCandless failed to heed such sage advice, and he was found dead in a bus—a testament to the fact that poor decisions can be costly.
Frequently, we can’t tell a good decision from a bad one until hindsight lets us see clearly, but there are lessons to be learned from others’ mistakes. Most anyone can say, “He or she should have done this,” but are we wise enough to use sense in our own decisions? Fate and chance tell many stories—stories that people often wish could be changed. It is up to each individual to use wisdom in making choices, unlike Grandmother and McCandless, so we are not left to look back and say “that could have been.”