There are many things in the world that we can control but some that we cannot. For instance, we do not have a choice over our parents and siblings, our gender when we were born, and even our height.
However, we can choose our way of life. We can choose a life of charitable work or one of evil deeds. We can opt for an active or passive life, and we can choose to be generous or selfish. In addition, we can dedicate ourselves to acquiring knowledge or remain living in ignorance. It is all our choice.
Sometimes we may wish to progress and do good deeds, but circumstances and lack of will power may not allow us to. Some people commit crimes unintentionally and go to jail for them. They become distracted by adverse conditions because of the lack of willpower. They fail to tell right from wrong due to inadequate wisdom and fall into bad company which lead them down the wrong path.
Often, it seems that we do not have alternatives. For example, if we have a choice, we will naturally prefer to be rich rather than poor. However, because of the causes and conditions of past karma, we do not have one. So even when we wish for a life of power and wealth with throngs of people tending to our every beck and call, instead we suffer from a life of poverty. It is not for us to say!
We may all wish to be attractive, elegant, smart, and wise. Life would be so wonderful then! However, these attributes seem to be pre-destined too, and we cannot always get what we wish for. In addition, we may wish for love, money, or just some positive causes and conditions, but we just cannot get them. That is because we have not cultivated them in the past. In planning our future, we should in the present plant the right seeds, make connections, and create conditions. We can make the choice for our future needs in life.
Now we can choose a life of ethics and compassion, and we can live to serve others and contribute to society. Faith, frugality, generosity, contentment, diligence, and humility are all our choices. We may not be able to realize them all at once. When the causes and conditions are right, we need not worry about not having choices that we are happy with.