Catch 22

A Catch 22 situation is one in which no matter which way you follow, there can be an undesired outcome or result. It's like the sigh "damned if I do and damned if I don't"


We definitely have experienced this situation in our lives. Some face it more often than others. Some times they can be quite serious and at other times can be rather hilarious. Take for example our politicians' excuse when they had to indulge...Beri salah, tak beri kalah!


On a lighter note, when children throw a tantrum at the candy store adults are proned to contributing to tooth decay or starting a bad habit by giving in to their fancies. But if mum does not give , the embarassing tantrum scene catches bystanders' attention. Under their breath and their looks conclude Mum doesn't know how to bring up her child.


The boss has a lousy idea and the rests of the staff feel strongly against it. If you tell the boss his idea is terrible you risk embarassing him but if you don't, the rests don't respect you.


When our children grow up to be adults we think we should be friends to them. We try not to talk down to them ( i.e. in psychology terms, a parent to child communication) by telling them what to do. Instead we suggest, we hint, we let them do what they think is right. This is supposedly to gain their confidence and to give them confidence (adult to adult communication). But this risks losing our credibility as a parent who appears not to help out with their problems. Or, they don't get the benefit of learning from our mistakes thus saving precious time. When we talk to them like parents they have the preconceived idea that our opinions are outdated and just don't fancy being told what to do. After all they are already grown up and their friends suggestions should be more uptodate.


When a friend wants to borrow money and explained the 'urgency' for it, we just can't refuse. We worry in case they feel , "if this is the type of friend I have, who needs enemies!" But at the back of our head we wonder if we can ask for the money back or when we ask do we get the round-about response.



There can be numerous examples but suffice to say a Catch 22 situation may seem hopeless or daunting when it happens.



An optimist will advise," give it some thought and give it some time". We usually end up choosing what we think is the lesser of two evils or the less damaging solution or the less risky choice. In fact, the actual outcome may not even be bad anymore after a grace period.



Yes, a Catch 22 may not be a 'catch' after all. We just have to use our creative juice to magnify a good in an apparently bad option.