Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people, choice gives birth to anxiety. Interested in the idea “too many choices are dizzy”, I have been conducting an experiment. 【小题1】

When presented with a menu in a restaurant, I’ll only consider the first few options on each page. I know, it sounds crazy. 【小题2】 I used to read the menu a long time instead of sitting back and talking to my dining companion. These days I quickly select the best-sounding dishes and then chat and eat. In doing so, I find myself trying new things. The other night, for example, I ordered a smoked chicken salad. If I had permitted myself to glance further down the list, this would never have happened. But guess what? It was delicious. So limiting my choices can sometimes lead me to a wider range of experiences.

【小题3】 I can now access many films and TV series, yet after ten minutes of looking through apps and menus, I will more often than not find myself watching whatever Channel 4 has scheduled at 9 pm. So before I even turn on the TV, I ask myself: what do I want to watch? I think of a program. 【小题4】

This devotion to a simpler set of possibilities came in handy when our summer holiday to America was COVID-canceled. I didn’t go through a million TripAdvisor reviews for the best replacements. I simply went on Airbnb, saw what in England was still available and immediately booked the one I could afford. 【小题5】 And now I can actually focus on enjoying our holiday.

In the summer of 2019, Tomas Quinones was undertaking a “bikepacking” trip, covering some remote desert in Southern Oregon. His trip had been marked with usual minor setbacks. He’d lost shoes. His water supply was sometimes uncertain. But there had also been moments of unexpected kindness: A couple parking beside offered to share their lunch; or the guy in the truck asked if he needed help. On the last day of Quinones’ trip, he was riding down a dusty track when he came upon a man lying unconscious on the ground, who was clearly dehydrated (脱水的). Quinones tried to give some water and waited until the ambulance arrived.

Quinones, who’d received help over the course of his trip, paid it forward. The odds are, if you’ve spent any time in the wild, you’ll have experienced these gestures of kindness from strangers or given them yourself too as Quinones did.

So what is it about being outside in nature that makes people want to help others?

The first explanation is that in the wild, there may not be any other help. According to the “bystander effect” (旁观者效应), the more people who are in the presence of someone needing help, the less likely any of those are to actually provide it. But another idea is that there is something about nature itself that seems to promote “prosocial (亲社会)” attitudes. As a recent study suggests, exposure to nature can stimulate feelings of transcendence — a sense of connection to other people, to the world around us and to the universe.

When we get into the wild, we become weaker. And being in an easily-hurt position makes us look at the world differently. So, in the wild, where we are removed of normal possessions, surroundings and identities, we seem more willing to go the extra mile for someone. It’s in nature, ironically, that we can learn new things about humanity.

There is a cry of anger, and a tennis racket crashes to the ground. Jake, age 7, has just lost another match and is now in tears beside the court. His sister Sally, just one year older, looks at her mother and rolls her eyes: it is hard to enjoy winning when this keeps happening. It is not an unusual situation, and it is one reason why many people argue that competition is bad for children. However, the truth is that competitive games are a valuable preparation for adult life.

Games with winners and losers give children the chance to experience life’s ups and downs. Take Jake, for example. Even though he is unhappy now, he will probably be smiling and laughing with his sister in a few minutes, just like the last time this happened. Gradually, he will learn that the world does not end when you lose a game. Eventually, he may even be able to lose with a smile on his face. This is an important lesson. Not everything in life goes the way you would like, and it is important to know how to handle disappointment when it occurs.

Children who participate in competitive games develop qualities that allow them to succeed in the complex world of adult life. For example, one of the missions of the Youth Olympic Games is to inspire young people to adopt the Olympic values, which include striving, determination and optimism. Competition creates a desire to do better. Children have to learn to succeed in a competitive atmosphere in order to take advantage of opportunities in the future. Although it is possible to win by chance occasionally, people who win and keep winning work very hard to achieve their success.

On the negative side, there are those who will say that competition actually encourages some values, which does happen. It is common to see sports competition in which the desire to win has replaced the desire to have fun. You may even see very young children playing violently----like the superstars they see on TV. While the bad behavior of young athletes is troubling, the problem is not the competition itself. In reality, the blame lies with the professional players who are bad role models for these children. In fact, a recent study of young athletes by the school of Physical Health Education at the University of Wyoming showed an improvement in mood after exercise, athletes were less depressed or tense.

Of course, there are parents who argue that children of Jake’s age are too young to handle the pain of losing. But whether we like it or not, adult life is very competitive, and keeping children away from competition does them more harm than good. If children do not learn how to compete, they will be defeated by people who can. It is an unfortunate fact of life: whether ten or a hundred people want the same job, there can be only one winner. Wouldn’t you want your child to be that person?