Against Better Judgement

I think at some point in our lives, we all make decisions that we know at the time are not the right ones. This begs the question: Why?

I think that greatly depends upon the situation. Financial decisions that we know are bad tend to be spontaneous impulse spending and often result in buyer's remorse (read: my friend who recently purchased an exquisitely gigantic DLP television, loves it, but is having serious second thoughts).

Flaking out on plans is another one that you know is a bad decision before you even decide to do it. You always have to come up with a really good excuse - and then you inevitably feel like a jerk anyway. What were you doing that was so great you had to flake out on a group of friends for dinner plans? Probably nothing - because if you had a legitimate excuse, you wouldn't feel bad about it.

Eating fast food is one decision that should never be made - yet millions of people make that choice daily (I, too have been guilty of this choice once or twice). Why? If you are literate and don't live under a rock, you know that with each bite of your Baconator you are damaging your body and taking a couple seconds off your life - especially if you're not planning on going to the gym later. For shame!

The one that really gets me, however, is making the conscious decision to cheat on your significant other. You KNOW that is not a good idea - but somehow many people are able to reason it out in their heads as to why it's okay. I get that people have different views on the topic, and I totally respect that. It's entirely possible that physical monogamy is not natural for humans. If you've been in a relationship for a long time and you just need to sleep with someone else, fine. Go have a one-night-stand at a bar and never think or speak of it again. But what about starting another whole relationship on the side?

Before starting this type of situation, you have to know that, inevitably, someone is going to get hurt. It might be your significant other, or it might be the other person, but you're pretty sure it's not going to be you. If all goes to plan, everything will be fine for everyone - but let me tell you, if you're screwing around, your behavior probably changes without you even realizing it. Just because you don't realize the difference doesn't mean someone else won't. There's a good chance - particularly if you're living with your honey - that he or she is going to notice that something's afoot. I don't want to change anyone's lifestyle or ideals - believe me, I know the whole wife-and-mistress routine can work for some for a lifetime - but before you start something like that, it would be a good idea to know your plan of action just in case the proverbial shit ever does hit the fan.

So why do people make these decisions that they know are against their better judgment even before the decision is made? Human nature and curiosity should answer that question. It can't be helped - I think it's fascinating, and I hope people never change.