Introduction to the “T’s”
Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee
Resolved to have a battle,
For Tweedle-Dum said Tweedle-Dee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle. Just then flew by a monstrous crow,
As big as a tar-barrel,
Which frightened both the heroes so;
They quite forgot their quarrel.

From “Through the Looking-Glass” Lewis Carroll, 1832-1898

That little rhyme from “Through the Looking Glass” says a lot about how we come to make decisions: the choices we make throughout our lives. Have you ever thought about how people (like Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee) come to make a decision one way or the other?
I have always been fascinated how I and others “decide” things and “make” decisions. I have to admit that I have always thought of myself as more of a “thinker”, a person who generally does not rush into decisions of any consequence unless time constraints or the situation at hand require quick decision-making. Of course, you only know whether the choice made was of any consequence until after you have made it, right? Why did I do this? Why did he/she do that? What did I choose this job over that one? Why do I like red better than green? Why do I like watching sports? How could anyone like that activity? These and many more questions have been swirling around in my head for a very long time, with many attempts to answer them. I finally resolved to put these many questions (and some explanations) down on paper utilizing a story-telling format in an attempt to sort out, answer, (or at least understand) some of the questions that I and others may have about decision-making, choices and outcomes. The “T’s” of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will encounter many situations in this book that require them to make decisions that will affect them in different ways. The T’s “decisions” represent how real people may view the same situation in different ways and how their choices often create different (or possibly the same) outcomes. The story-telling format used is a time-tested way of communicating information in a non-threatening, enjoyable and memorable way. As you probably already know, most of recorded history has been passed along by means of storytelling. Only after the appearance of writing were people then and now able to transfer the thoughts, information and experiences they had gathered over a lifetime to a much wider audience. Try if you will, to recall any memorable event in your life. Do you remember it as a point in time, a blip in the span of history? Or are the most memorable events or decisions part of a story, a connection of experiences that you can then use to relay these experiences to others, record by writing them down and then use those experiences to make decisions. Most everyone I believe is more eager to listen to a good story than read or listen to a laundry list of facts and figures. (I’ll try to keep my laundry lists short!) The story chapters contained in the book are broken down into specific areas: background and history, personal choices, religion and politics, etc. You can read the chapters in the order that they are presented: skip around or not read some chapters at all. Hopefully you will enjoy following Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee on their adventures, and maybe along the way learn something about yourself and others!