Indecision by Abundance

Paralysis by analysis is real. Emotions create movement.

Allegory of Abundance by Jan Brueghel the Younger, 1606 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

“Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” — Psalms 23:5

It’s hard to imagine what daily life was like 120 years ago.

In the city, horses and automobiles shared the roads. Gas-lamps and electric lights co-existed in the evenings. Move a few dozen miles out to the rural areas, and the modern comforts were less distributed: electricity, phones, and even indoor plumbing had yet to become universal.

For small-town America, the general store was where they did their marketing, with few selections on the shelves. Anything not visibly available could be ordered by the manager from his suppliers, or directly from the catalog from the recently-formed Sears & Roebuck.

In 1898, the New York Biscuit Company and the American Biscuit and Manufacturing Company merged to form the National Biscuit Company, made up of some 50 bakeries. And in 1912, they introduced what would become their most popular product, Oreo cookies.

Of course, you know them as Nabisco today, and the Oreo brand extensions are everywhere. Growing up when I did, it was a huge development when Double Stuff Oreos were introduced. Before that, there was simply one kind of Oreo.

And you liked it.

But now? Now you walk down the cookie aisle at the supermarket, and you have your choice: there are Golden Oreos, Red Velvet Oreos, Summer Oreos, Pumpkin Spice Oreos, Thin Oreos, Mocha Oreos, Apple Cider Donut Oreos, Carrot Cake Oreos…

By some counts, there are as many as 85 varieties of Oreos now.

It’s just too much.