Philosophy

I had always wanted to work as a volunteer in a shelter. Recently I visited two shelters which were desperately in need of volunteers. My heart went out to both the shelters, but because of the limited time I have, I could join any one of the two. It was a tough decision for me to decide which one, I should opt for.

The elements of my decision were as follows
Problem rationalization I tried to understand the problem that I intended to solve. One shelter looked after orphan children and the other looked after homeless old people. I tried to understand which of the two vulnerable groups I feel more attached to.

Boundary conditions I thought over the kind of capabilities that I possess that would best match with the options that are there for me. I tried to involve my parents who know me better than myself to help me in brainstorming.

Right thing to do Apart from thinking rationally, I tried to understand my inner feelings and what would make me happy.

Action After pondering upon what my mind and heart wanted, I chose the shelter that looked after old and homeless people and immediately contacted them.

Feedback I worked in the shelter for a couple of weeks and asked the authorities to give me a feedback about how they felt I was doing so that I could bring about the changes if required. I not only got a very encouraging feedback from them but also lots of love from the old people. This was enough evidence for me to believe that I was on the right path.

I used the process of consult in the whole exercise. I consulted my parents during the boundary condition stage and the people of the shelter during the feedback stage of decision making.
This course enhanced my critical thinking skills a lot and I would say that it gave me the maturity to go through a difficult phase and emerge a winner.