Category Archives: Progress

The report released this week by Policy Matters Ohio, titled the State of Working Ohio 2021, showed that inconsistencies in assistance from federal and state administrations limited the effectiveness of relief plans like unemployment assistance.

While the study also showed that financial injections like supplemental unemployment, aid packages and direct stimulus payments likely prevented the recession from dragging on months longer in the state, the fact that they were one-time deals or deals that were taken away before the pandemics end brought progress to an end as well.

The pandemic remains with us, study authors Michael Shields and Vivian Jacobs wrote. Weeks after COVID-19 seemed to be receding as a threat, daily cases surged again, prompting renewed uncertainties about when and how we will overcome the coronavirus.

The study said Ohio lawmakers did not help matters as they legislated away the power of public health mandates and the ability to regulate masks and vaccines.

The consequences have been felt across Ohio, but working people, whether working on the frontlines at risk of exposure, or displaced from their jobs, have borne the brunt, the report stated.

Those frontline workers were more likely to be persons of color and/or immigrants and those workers faced higher rates of illness and death from COVID-19, and were more likely to have their jobs destroyed by COVID-19.

Using state and federal data, the study showed that as of July 2021, 269,000 fewer jobs existed in the state compared to February of 2020. The poverty rate in the state reached levels not seen since 2007.

Shields and Jacobs said Gov. Mike DeWine prematurely pulled supplemental unemployment benefits something hes still fighting in the Ohio Supreme Court and that, compounded with the end of eviction moritoria, could cause more Ohioans to lose housing or be unable to pay bills.

Women faced a wage gap that had been narrowing in the years before the pandemic began, and workforce participation also fell as Ohio women left the workforce to care for children or were laid off, the report said.

Women were more likely to have to take on unpaid care work that disrupted their careers, the authors wrote. This recession was distinct from the Great Recession in disproportionately harming women.

While the Great Recession that started in 2o07 exacerbated existing socioeconomic inequity, Policy Matters said COVID-19s fiscal effect threatened to continue that problem, and the study credits rapid recovery of corporate stock prices and real estate as a pandemic boon for the wealthiest Ohioans.

Fiscal stimulus programs, however, showed an equitable state economy is possible, it said.

The unprecedented fiscal stimulus with which federal policymakers met (COVID-19) is a reminder that government is the vehicle we use to solve problems and craft better communities together, the study concluded. When used to those ends, it is an incredibly powerful force.

Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal, republished here with permission.

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Study: COVID-19 Reversed Progress for Ohio Women, More Than 1 Million Workers Displaced - Cleveland Scene

(NAFB) Indigo Ag announced it has dispersed initial payments to the inaugural group of Carbon by Indigo participants.

The 267 paid growers are the first to implement on-farm practice changes and provide the data required to ensure the rigorous measurement and validation of resulting emissions reduction and removal according to registry protocols. The group has helped to pave a path for the scaled production of carbon credits as a new income stream for farmers.

Carbon by Indigo is the first carbon farming program to provide outcomes-based direct payments to growers at scale. Indigo also announced plans to expand eligibility for farmers in 28 states. The company says 78 percent of U.S. cropland is now poised to respond to the mounting demand for high-quality credits, which has already resulted in a credit price increase of 35 percent in the first year of the program.

Starting in the 2022 crop year, farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Alabama, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are also eligible to begin farming carbon with the support of Indigos farmer-first program.

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Indigo Pays 267 Farmers for Progress in First-Ever Carbon Farming Program - newsdakota.com

On Sept. 11, 2001, Brandon del Pozo was a Brooklyn beat cop sent over to Lower Manhattan to help secure and shut down the New York Stock Exchange. By 2005, he was stationed in the Middle East as an intelligence officer for the city, responding to terrorist attacks in Jordan and India to understand what vulnerabilities they might expose in New York.

The path of del Pozos career reflects the way the New York Police Department and the country as a whole shifted from surprised reaction to aggressive planning and preparation to respond to terrorism.

9/11 laid bare how much New York City was truly at the mercy of both global events and the protection of the federal government when it came to homeland security and terrorism, del Pozo says. The idea that a cell operating in the Middle East could somehow cause thousands of deaths thousands of miles away in New York City we knew that at an abstract level, but it hit home on 9/11.

A year after the attacks, the federal government combined 22 separate agencies into its new Department of Homeland Security. Over the past 20 years, every state has set up an emergency operations center to coordinate disaster response, while cities and counties have integrated police, fire and health department responses in a way that wasnt true even in New York City on Sept. 11. After the attack, the New York City Police Department built up a counterterrorism bureau thats one of the leading intelligence agencies in the country.

Its a long way from a foolproof system, but planning is much better and the level of coordination within and between levels of government is vastly improved. Homeland security has become a thing that states and all local governments realize they need to deal with, says Donald Kettl, author of System under Stress, a book about homeland security and politics. Its become a far more integrated effort.

President Bidens decision to pull out of Afghanistan last month has raised concerns that the country is withdrawing from the global war on terror, complacency taking the place of vigilance against continued threats. We all tuned out, says Jason Killmeyer, a security consultant based in Pittsburgh. The soldiers went over there. They died in reasonably low numbers, which kept us satisfied.

(Marcus Yam/TNS)

We have made tremendous progress in keeping Americans safe from a 9/11-style attack, says Suzanne Spaulding, senior adviser for homeland security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Whats happened in the ensuing 20 years, through the competence of our military and the actions weve taken, it appears weve gone back to terrorist groups primarily being focused on the near enemy.

Yet the sense of peril was not great. Despite the bombing and warnings from police experts New York City placed its emergency command center at the World Trade Center, hampering its efforts on Sept. 11.

The post-9/11 clich that everything changed as a result of the attacks was never accurate, but it came close to being true in terms of homeland security. The Justice Department and FBI had offices concerned with attacks on critical infrastructure, while the CIA ran counterterrorism centers. Still, there were only pockets of folks in the federal government, Spaulding says, who were focused on homeland security.

Within days of the attacks, President George W. Bush appointed Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge as his homeland security adviser in the White House. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established by Congress in 2002.

We really needed to bring the people looking at the border in one place the immigration folks, the border patrol folks because the big worry then was terrorists coming in from outside the United States, Spaulding says. We started thinking about how we can deter, prevent, respond and recover effectively from catastrophic attacks, and what is the range of capabilities and resources with the federal government that could be brought to bear.

That year, Hurricane Katrina exposed stubborn vulnerabilities within the U.S. to catastrophic events, including ongoing problems with coordination between the different levels of government. With the flooding of New Orleans what you were really dealing with was the equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction being used on the city without criminality, said Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen.

There was plenty of finger-pointing. Federal officials felt that their state and local counterparts couldnt be trusted, Kettl says, in the sense that they werent adequately prepared for disasters, yet blame would be laid at the feds feet. When it came to issues such as dirty bombs, federal officials argued they should have primary responsibility, but locals pushed back. Local governments said, Were always the first responders, theres no way were going to back off, Kettl says.

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Nevertheless, Wise says that coordination has gotten better, particularly when it comes to natural disasters. Meanwhile, theres a much greater sense that the formerly independent agencies within DHS are pulling in the same direction than was true at the time of the departments birth.

Just as the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act helped unify military command while keeping the service branches separate, DHS now has much greater unity of effort, says Spaulding, a former department under secretary. The Coast Guard, Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection these are all institutions that have been around a very long time and have their own cultures, she says. But they cant just operate in their silos.

Omar Mateen, who killed 49 mostly gay and Latino people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, was an American who called himself an Islamic soldier. Is he more of a terrorist than Stephen Paddock, who killed 60 people at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 but pledged allegiance to no foreign group?

What about the Jan. 6 assault on Congress? FBI Director Christopher Wray called that an act of domestic terrorism, although to say theres not bipartisan agreement on that score would be an understatement. Jan. 6 was not an isolated event, Wray told the Senate in March. The problem of domestic terrorism has been metastasizing across the country for a long time now and its not going away anytime soon.

(Yuri Gripas/TNS)

Weve done a lot to secure the country, says del Pozo, the former NYPD officer. Every civic event, every big cultural or sporting event is viewed through the lens that some outside force could wreak havoc if the city isnt prepared. That will never change.

Theres no end to violence. No matter how secure the borders, local radicalism can continue to cause harm to cities. What we continue to find most challenging is the individual, whether inspired by foreign terrorist ideology, or racially motivated or motivated by domestic politics, Spaulding says.

But the ability of any group or certainly any individual to perpetrate a mass casualty event on the scale of the Sept. 11 attacks has been much diminished.

To find a lone individual who may be on the verge of committing an act of violence is a very big challenge for the government, Spaulding says. Its a very serious concern, its a very serious threat, but its not 9/11.

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Since 9/11, Tremendous Progress in Homeland Security - Governing

This weekend many will reflect on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. But for members of the Muslim community, like Ashfaq Taufique, that event brings a complicated set of emotions. Taufique immigrated to the United States when he was 25 and settled in Alabama in 1989. He is one of the founding members of the Birmingham Islamic Society. Now, as president emeritus at age 71, Taufique still hopes Muslim-Americans can be accepted without the hurtful stereotypes stirred up by 9/11. He said before 9/11, things were different but the intensity of hatred and suspicion around the Muslim was always there.

Taufique is reminded of the 1998 film The Siege, about a series of terrorist attacks in New York City, which he said portrayed Muslims in a very bad light. He also recalls statements from government officials.

I remember one of the vice presidents had said that now that we have combated the Soviet Union and communism, next is the radical Islam, Taufique said.

Birmingham Islamic SocietyAshfaq Taufiq is one of the founding members and now president emeritus of the Birmingham Islamic Society.

That kind of terminology was always there, Taufique said, but it became very intense after 9/11.

Now 20 years later, he said the Muslim terrorist stereotype still exists in certain communities. But many Muslims would say theyve made some progress, according to Taufique. Since 9/11 visitors from churches and other organizations would often visit the mosque in Birmingham. He said visitors were more sympathetic and more empathetic towards the Muslim community.

You would think, oh, my gosh, so many people are coming, so we must be making progress. But I must say that the silent majority of people in rural Alabama, rural America, continue to hold that strong feeling of hate against Muslims, he said. So I personally think that we may have made some progress in terms of making some more ambassadors of our Muslim community, but it is very minuscule.

In 2007, the Birmingham Islamic Society published its statement on terrorism. It is still on their website. Taufique said it was important to ask people to look at Muslims for who they really are. The statement also includes a profound verse from the Quran on justice.

That message still holds. Its a message that continues to drive us. And we want people to know we are what it says in that message, Taufique said.

When reflecting on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Taufiques thoughts turn to the thousands of American soldiers killed and many more innocent civilians killed through drone strikes and bombings during the subsequent war in Afghanistan. Taufique said the feelings worsened with the recent U.S. troop withdrawal from that country.

It is so painful that our media said, okay, 13 Americans dead, but dont talk about 160 innocent Afghanis who lost their lives, Taufique said.

He called it a sad tradition to talk only about the Americans who were killed.

Though they too are very important, its unfortunate that nobody talks about the hundreds and thousands of civilians that have been killed in the last 20 years in the name of war against terror.

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20 Years After 9/11, Leader With The Birmingham Islamic Society Says Progress Is Miniscule - WBHM

But thats actually a positive thing, royal expert and co-author of the recently updated Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family Omid Scobie explained on a recent episode of the Royally Obsessed podcast. One thing that I have really seen change on all sides is a bit of a conscious effort to keep things private, he said. In the past, [it was] if we allow this source to speak and this palace courtier talks on our behalf, we can get the truth out there and perhaps people wont think weve done X, Y and Z. I think theres been less of a focus on that and actually more of a focus on doing things privatelyand, as we know, that was one of the things that really broke so much of this down in the first place.

Does this mean theres actual progress being made in terms of the relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry? Scobie continued: While I have spoken to sources about the smalland they really are baby stepsinteractions during Harrys visit to the U.K. for Prince Philips funeral and more recently for the Diana statue unveiling, just being in the same room together, just being able to make eye contact, just being able to hear each others voices in front of each other rather than through someone else has made a difference that at least sets the stage for future progress.

Still, Scobie does acknowledge that the brothers have a long way to go. Thats really where were at. There isnt anyone weve spoken to that says, Oh! People are talking like its the old days.

Fingers crossed we get to see Prince William and Prince Harry spending more time togetherand getting the chance to keep talking things outsoon.

For more about the royals, listen to the Royally Obsessed podcast with co-hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito. Subscribe now or follow us on Instagram @royallyobsessedpodcast.

RELATED: Prince William & Prince Harry Just Unveiled the Princess Diana Statue& Released a Joint Statement

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A Sign of Relationship Progress Between Princes William and Harry? Royal Expert Says Yes - PureWow

A UAMS news release reports promising research on the cause of lingering effects of COVID-19 among some who contract the virus.

UAMS research team has identified a potential cause of long-lasting symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients, often referred to as long-haulers. The findings were published in the journal,The Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS ONE).

At the heart of the teams findings is an antibody that shows up weeks after an initial infection and attacks and disrupts a key regulator of the immune system, said lead researcher John Arthur, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of the Division of Nephrology in the UAMS College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine.

As many as 30% of COVID-19 patients experience lingering fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath. The cause of long COVID-19 has eluded scientists, but the UAMS teams discovery sheds important new light on the molecular-level mechanisms behind it.

Everything that weve found is consistent with this antibody as the instigator of long COVID, so its an exciting development that merits further study, Arthur said.

The antibody creates problems for the immune system by attacking the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The ACE2 enzyme helps regulate the bodys response to the virus by metabolizing a peptide that activates the immune system. The attacking antibody interferes with ACE2s work, which makes the antibody a prime suspect for the long-lasting illness.

The research team was brought together quickly this spring by the UAMS Translational Research Institute to test the hypothesis that developed through discussions between Arthur and UAMS Terry Harville, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pathology and medical director of the Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratories.

Researchers Karl Boehme, Ph.D., Craig Forrest, Ph.D., and Shana Owens, Ph.D., in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology developed the assay (test) used to identify the two antibodies.

Researchers tested plasma or serum for ACE2 antibodies in 67 patients with known SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection and 13 with no history of infection. In 81% of blood samples from patients in Arkansas and Oklahoma with a history of COVID-19, the samples had the antibody that attacked the ACE2.

In participants with no history of COVID-19, no antibodies were created to attack the ACE2 enzyme.

If we show that the whole hypothesis is right, that this interference of ACE2 really does cause long COVID, then it opens up many potential treatments, Arthur said. If our next steps confirm that this antibody is the cause of long COVID symptoms, there are medications that should work to treat them. If we get to that phase of research, the next step would be to test these drugs and hopefully relieve people of the symptoms theyre having.

The multidisciplinary team also includes College of Medicine researchers Christian Herzog, Ph.D., Department of Internal Medicine; Josh Kennedy, M.D., Department of Pediatrics; and Juan Liu, Ph.D., from the Department of Pathology.

This is true team science, Arthur said. We put together a great group of investigators that had never worked together to produce these very exciting results.

UAMS has played a starring role in the states response to COVID-19, including with strong advocacy for the proven benefits of mask-wearing and vaccinations. Of course, you might say. But remember that UAMS is a state institution under the thumb of a legislature that has expressed skepticism about the virus generally and outlawed requirements for masks and vaccinations that could prevent illness short-term or lingering and death of Arkansans of all ages. It is also a legislature with a pronounced strain of contempt for higher education generally. Brush arbor preachers and slumlords among them are skeptics of what UAMS doctors have said about the efficacy of unproven quack cures for the virus.

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UAMS reports progress in finding cause of COVID-19 'long-haulers' - Arkansas Times

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One of the main topics of discussion heading into the 2020 season for Louisville revolved around how the coaching staff would utilize theoffensiveroster, and who would stand outon that side of the ball.

The Cardinals did return quarterback Malik Cunningham, as well as most of their starters on the offensive line, but lost a majority of their offensive skill production. With Tutu Atwell, Dez Fitzpatrick and Javian Hawkins all heading to the NFL, roughly half of their total offense from the 2020 season was leaving with it.

Following their season opener against Ole Miss down in Atlanta, it seems like Louisville has a lot more questions than answers.

During the first half of their 43-24 loss to the Rebels, the Cardinals' offense looked like a complete and total mess. The offensive line struggled to hold their blocks, the new-look receiver room had trouble getting open, and even Cunningham had several offline throws.

The offense did make necessary adjustments and rebound in the second half, even outscoring Ole Miss during that span, but it was far too little, far too late. It was unlikely that Louisville would be able to hammer out their exact position group rotations after just one game, but heading into week two against Eastern Kentucky, those rotations are still very much up in the air.

"We're still analyzing and looking to see what gives us the best chance to make plays for us outside, and what position that might be. Then also up front. Seeing which guys are going to perform and play the most snaps,"head coach Scott Satterfield said. "A lot of that will be determined by the end of week, and we'll see who we want to get out there the most, and who we need to try to get the ball to."

Where the most questions lie are within the receiving corps. Heading into the season, Louisville knew they had a wide receiver room that had both youth and relative inexperience, and it showed multiple times against Ole Miss. While the staff is continuing to evaluate the room, Satterfield was pleased with some aspects of their performance on Monday.

"(Jordan) Watkins is a sure player, we saw that Braden Smith can do some good things, we trust what he's gonna do. (Josh Johnson) had a good game -- caught six balls," Satterfield said. "We'll see where we're at with that as we finish out this week, and see where the guys go."

While not as big of a concern, the staff is also in the process of determining snap counts with both the offensive line and running backs. He notes the linemen Bryan Hudson and Michael Gonzalez performed well against the Rebels and could see more run going forward, as did backs Hassan Halls and Trevion Cooley.

But at the end of the day, not matter who ends up receiving the lion's share of the workload, Satterfield wants them to help progress the offense moving forward.

"(The receivers) certainly got to play better, we all got to play better offensively, we all know that," he said. "We got to play fast, we got to play physical up front, when a running back has an opportunity to make plays, he's got to be able to make plays."

Kickoff against Eastern Kentucky in Louisville's home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 11 at 7:00 p.m.

(Photo of Hassan Hall, Malik Cunningham:Brett Davis - USA TODAY Sports)

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Offensive Rotations Still a Work in Progress for Louisville - CalBearsMaven

Firefighters from the Cosumnes Fire Department carry water hoses last week while holding a fire line to keep the Caldor Fire from spreading in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Jae C. Hong/AP hide caption

Firefighters from the Cosumnes Fire Department carry water hoses last week while holding a fire line to keep the Caldor Fire from spreading in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

As California battles wildfires throughout the state, a new crop of suspicious fires that erupted over Labor Day weekend added to an already busy wildfire season.

Officials warned residents in Sonoma County to remain vigilant after more than a dozen fires erupted late Monday.

State Sen. Mike McGuire tweeted at around 10 p.m. local time that several "suspicious" fires started over the course of the evening. Fire engines and emergency personnel gathered in the Healdsburg area and responded quickly to as many as 15 new blazes, McGuire told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Firefighters were able to stop most of the forward progress on multiple fires in the area overnight, he said. Images and videos shared on Twitter show firefighters battling smoke and flames on glowing hillsides along the side of the road.

Over the weekend, at least three other fires started.

In Amador County, near where the long-burning Caldor Fire is, the Lawrence Fire, that started Sunday, engulfed 46 acres by Monday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, reported. Roads were briefly closed, and fire officials carried out some evacuations before the blaze was nearly 90% contained by 6:30 p.m. local time Monday.

Farther north, the Bridge Fire was reported Sunday afternoon. By the next day, the fire had burned more than 400 acres but was 15% contained, allowing evacuation orders and warnings to be lifted. Officials kept the Auburn State Recreation Area closed, however.

In San Diego County, the Aruba Fire also started Sunday afternoon. Firefighters made quick work of it, however, and by Monday, it was 60% contained.

On Monday, officials announced significant progress in battling the Caldor Fire. Some evacuation warnings were lifted around Lake Tahoe as it reached 44% containment. Evacuation orders for South Lake Tahoe were downgraded to evacuation warnings, allowing some residents to return home after a week away.

A sign outside a South Lake Tahoe fire station welcomes residents back after the lifting of evacuation orders Monday. The resort town was cleared last week due to the Caldor Fire. Samuel Metz/AP hide caption

A sign outside a South Lake Tahoe fire station welcomes residents back after the lifting of evacuation orders Monday. The resort town was cleared last week due to the Caldor Fire.

The blaze, active for 22 days, has burned 216,358 acres (338 square miles). Cal Fire reported that at least 965 buildings were destroyed in the blaze and another 76 damaged.

About a dozen fires are ongoing in California. So far this year, 7,139 fires burned across the state scorching more than 2 million acres (more than 3,100 square miles). The Dixie Fire can be blamed for much of that damage. It has burned more than 900,000 acres since erupting more than 50 days ago.

At least one firefighter died while battling the blaze, according to officials. Marcus Pacheco, an assistant fire engine operator for Lassen National Forest with 30 years' experience, died on Thursday from an illness.

No other details on Pacheco's death were provided.

Nationwide, as of Monday, there were 81 large fires or complexes that have burned more than 2.8 million acres in 11 states. Incidents in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington reported active fire behavior, with several large fires making significant runs, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for several parts of California through the rest of the week. Fire risks are expected through Friday due to this stretch of hot, dry weather.

Temperatures throughout the rest of the West Coast will reach 10 to 20 degrees above normal. According to the National Weather Service, some parts of California could reach 110 degrees.

Smoke shrouds parts of Lake Tahoe visible from the Ski Run Marina in downtown South Lake Tahoe on Monday. Samuel Metz/AP hide caption

Smoke shrouds parts of Lake Tahoe visible from the Ski Run Marina in downtown South Lake Tahoe on Monday.

The heat, compounded by smoke from the wildfires, is also creating serious air quality issues.

In Lake Tahoe, officials warned communities in the areas affected by the wildfires that they should expect to see and smell heavy smoke if they return home.

Air quality officials extended a Spare the Air alert, which is raised when the air is forecast to be unhealthy, through Tuesday for the Bay Area.

"Wildfire smoke combined with high inland temperatures and vehicle exhaust are expected to cause unhealthy smog, or ozone, accumulation in the Bay Area," according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. "Smoke from Northern California wildfires is expected to continue to impact the region creating hazy and smoky skies."

"Climate change is impacting our region with more frequent wildfires and heat waves leading to poor air quality," said Veronica Eady, senior deputy executive officer of the air district. "We can all help by driving less to reduce smog and improve air quality when respiratory health is top of mind for us all."

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New Wildfires Erupt In California As Officials Make Progress On The Caldor Fire - NPR

TEHRAN- The closing ceremony of the first award of the book entitled Narration of Progress will be held on Sept. 11 with the focus on the selected books in the field of empiricism and modeling of progress in five thematic fields.

Accordingly, the first award of the book entitled "Narration of Progress" will be held in five thematic fields of culture and art, security defense, governance, science and technology, and fiction with a focus on the selected books developed in the field of empiricism and modeling of progress.

The closing ceremony is held following the evaluation and selection of the best works in the mentioned fields by distinguished and prominent judges in order to introduce the best works and also appreciatethe creators of these works.

It should be noted that the narrator of the selected work and also the selected publisher of the book entitled Narration of Progress will be introduced and appreciated in this prestigious event.

This ceremony will be held at Soureh Hall of Islamic Revolution Art Bureau at 09:00 a.m. on Sept. 11 in the presence of Seyyed Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi as Strategic Secretary of Award and Messrs. Seyyed Mohammad Sahebkar Khorasani and Mohammad Mehdi Dadman as special guests.

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Narration of Progress award to wrap up on Sept. 11 - Tehran Times

How do I overcome chronic indecision and make progress with my life? Important decisions which usually involve either a time commitment or considerable investment evoke feelings of anxiety and a fear that I will make the wrong choice. I will often ruminate over the pros and cons of these decisions to such an extent that I can no longer choose between them a state of analysis paralysis.

At instances when I have had more than one choice, such as two study offers from different universities, or two different job opportunities, I am frustratingly fraught with indecision. On occasions, I have overthought for so long that I have often lost both opportunities which then stirs up strong feelings of regret and self-loathing. This inaction has stalled my progress in life, which seems bizarre, as all I want to do is just move forward with things.

I dont know how to overcome this chronic indecisiveness or where it has stemmed from, if I consider events in my childhood. Would putting my eggs just in one basket and not giving myself a choice be a solution? Im worried that without addressing this, it could start to affect making more decisions in the long run.

Eleanor says: Parable: donkey gets tied to a pole. Two buckets are nearby, each equidistant from the pole. One contains water, the other hay. The donkey is equally hungry and thirsty, so theres no principled reason to prefer one. Donkey wants to be rational; wants to make the choice best supported by reasons. So he stands by his pole trying to carefully think through which bucket would be better to approach first, and in this manner, dies before deciding.

Im like you donkey-like in my decision making. Its maddening. Sometimes when Im on day three of pro and con lists I wonder whats supposed to be at stake here what will I prove to myself by getting this decision as right as possible?

I think what I find so paralysing is the sense that there is a correct, happiness-guaranteeing choice here, if only I could figure out which one it is. Its like a cruel game show: Weve marked three doors with the names of competing universities. Behind one lies blissful happiness behind another, total ruin! With no further information Choose! Your! Door!

Two thoughts finally liberated me. One is that no door will deliver you to a life without pain and disappointment. There just are going to be heartbreaks and irritations and days when the fog sets in for me, this makes the stakes feel a little lower.

The second thought comes from Yale professor Laurie Paul. You cant know in advance which door is the correct one to walk through, because which one feels correct later on will depend on the choice you make now. This is a funny loop-the-loop of a thought but I think its broadly right. Say you choose the job that pays more, but will make you travel more. Because you chose that job, youll travel a lot while travelling, you might realise you love it, and in two years you might find you cant remember what it was like to think of travel as a chore. Youll count that decision as one of the best you ever made, but not for reasons you could have foreseen when you made it.

All kinds of decisions are like this; you study something on a lark and find you love learning what you thought was boring; you move somewhere you think is stifling and later find you cant imagine leaving. Theres no point in trying to think these decisions through in advance with rigorous lists of pros and cons, because the person we become by making the decision might turn out to count different things as pros or cons. We make choices for our future selves, but our choices make our future selves.

I hope this sets you free like it did me. Just pick a bucket, any bucket. Youll be waiting on the other side of the decision ready to be amazed at how malleable and authoritative you really are whether your choice was a good one will turn out to be up to you.

Do you have a conflict, crossroads or dilemma you need help with? Eleanor Gordon-Smith will help you think through lifes questions and puzzles, big and small. Questions can be anonymous.

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How do I overcome chronic indecision and make progress with my life? - The Guardian