Life is a Cascade of Decisions

What I learnt from bingeing one too many biographical docuseries on Netflix

This photo reminds me that the outcome of our lives is decided by the decisions we make in the private spaces of our minds, in the quiet of our homes, more than anything else. Photographed by Shengpengpeng Cai

The past few weeks, I’ve watched a lot of docuseries.

Besides being some of Netflix’s best work, docuseries visualise my favourite genre of books—biographies.

To me, biographies are the ultimate genre of storytelling. They combine elements of fiction and non-fiction yet are neither at the same time. They’re the perfect literary paradox, and I’m obsessed with paradoxes wherever I can find them.

Another reason I love biographies is that they provide a sense of order to the chaos of life. They distil the seemingly random trials, tribulations, and triumphs of everyday life into a series of events that culminate in what seems like an ordered life. 

Biographies uncannily strengthen my belief in the invisible hand of fate just as much as in the power of self-directed ambition.

When you read or watch biographies, you see how lives are built and destroyed. Biographies grip me with the same hook as fictional novels, but they have a deeper sting because they are stories of real people, events, and decisions.

Biographical docuseries take things to the next level because they are, at their very essence, riveting TV shows with confessionals of sorts…all while being educational. I honestly can’t think of anything better…for me.

As I binged each biographical docuseries, I learnt about the stories of great warriors, kings, queens, revolutionaries, scholars, and pioneers of old who were each made and broken by two things—their emotions and their decisions.

The stories of their lives taught me that life is built by a cascade of individual decisions. Every action we take is dictated by our decisions, which are influenced by our emotions (to a larger extent than we’d like to admit). Therefore, the outcome of our lives depends on the quality of our decisions and our level of control over our emotions.

Emotions and decisions. That’s it.

Even the biblical seven deadly sins, famous for defeating more kings and queens than any war, are also essentially gaps in emotional control:

• LUST: inability to control konji 

• GREED: inability to contain the desire for more

• ENVY: inability to control comparison with others

• GLUTTONY: inability to eat no more than what you need

• PRIDE: inability to control personal ego

• SLOTH: inability to resist the seductiveness of doing nothing

• WRATH: inability to find a threshold for rage 

More great people have been defeated before or catapulted to their peak due to their (in)ability to control their passions—the strong emotions that colour their decisions—than anything else.

From the many biographical docuseries I watched, I understood that achieving self-mastery to a reasonable extent is a prerequisite for greatness. Self-mastery is absolute control over yourself (i.e. your emotions and decisions).

How can one achieve self-mastery in a world that’s going beserk and trying to drive everyone insane?

That’s the question I’m left with as I enter the new week.

What’s yours?

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My Favourite Biographical Docuseries on Netflix (so far)

1. The Andy Warhol Diaries - a replay of the wondrous life of the flawed art genius and cultural icon Andy Warhol.

2. Rise of Empires: Ottoman - a scholarly yet dramatic articulation of the rise of Mehmed II, one of the luminary leaders of the Ottoman empire

3. African Queens: Njinga - the inspiring story of Njinga, the queen of the kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba, which form part of present-day Angola

4. The Last Czars - a gripping story of the avoidable fall of Nicholas II, the last emperor and Czar of Russia, and the alarming decisions that led to his demise

Have you watched any of these?

Let me know in the comments ⬇️