A Situation Decision That Demanded Critical Thinking

Choosing between joining the military and going to university is the most important situation that demanded critical thinking from me. When I was young, I lived with my grandfather who always told me captivating stories about his days in the military. My grandfather was a captain in the Navy and served in many countries including Vietnam and Iraq. He won many accolades for his dedicated service to the nation. As he narrated his experience with the military, my grandfather always challenged me to join the army when I grow up. Naturally, I have always had the ambition of pursuing a career in the military.
Although I shared my military dream with my parents many times, they have always objected to the idea of their only child joining the army. As such, when I graduated from high school a few months ago, I had a difficult time deciding what career path I would take. When the final results were out, I was among the top-five students. I had scored the best grades that could allow me to join any prestigious university in the United States. My parents were very proud of my high school achievements and were determined to see me join the university and not the military.
For almost a month, my parents tried to dissuade me from the military career. Unknown to them, I had sent an email to the principal of a local military college requesting to join the army. The principal responded with an assurance that I could be considered during the next recruitment exercise. When I shared this news with my parents, they were shocked.

I knew my parents could not give up an iota of their stance and I was not ready to shelve my military ambitions. I thought I knew what was good for me and could pursue it to the bitter end. However, I was apprehensive of exacerbating any further confrontations with my parents.
A few days later, my mother requested me to accompany her to the physician for routine medical checkups. I obliged and even suggested that I drive her on our family car. In the few days preceding my mother’s medical check-up, my mother had looked grim and weak. The checkup lasted about an hour, and before mother came out of the consultation room, I was called in. The physician did not mince his words. He told me that my mother had hypertension and that my decision to join the military was making her condition worse. After lengthy discussions, I realized that my mother was afraid of my military career because his two brothers who were army officers had been killed while in service. Being the only child, my mother feared that I could meet with the same fate. The subsequent stress led to hypertension.
I did not want any further arguments with my parents, and I immediately made a decision to join the University. Although my parents did not choose for me any particular course, I had to steer clear of the military. After consulting a few friends and career experts, I decided to join LMU for a civilian career. I informed my parents of the decision, and they congratulated me for stepping out of my comfort zone and seeing the bigger picture. This experience thought me that whenever we make decisions, we must consider the feelings of other people, especially those close to us.