This thread suddenly reminded me of a decision I made as a relatively young child maybe 10 or so. I decided to not pursue theoretical science or mathematics in favor of experimental sciences and mathematics. My logic at the time was a fear of spending my entire life in pursuit of a solution that either did not exist, or was too difficult to solve for my mind. To this day I still find that if my mind wanders too far into the unknown, I rush back to information that has a high probability of being true, so as to give myself a stronger foundation to stand on. Of course, sometimes I find myself doubting even the fundamental laws of physics, but do not allow myself to stay there for desire to not consider the possibility of the alternative, and to not waste too much of my limited time on this Earth doing what I decided not to do when I was around 10.
It is probably not healthy to make such an uninformed decision at such a young age, but I am not going to spend much time pondering that question.
Funny backstory: I invited my then boyfriend, now husband to attend a philosophy class in college. He fell asleep, I felt embarrassed because there were only 5 people there. Not to mention, I couldn't imagine how anyone could pass up such conversation! His response was that he had made this decision as well and was happier for it.
I also made that choice at one point. But realized that it's me, I can't change it and so I do allow myself to go to these places from time to time. But I keep it in check because I am a parent and happiness is more important than ever before.
