The Box of Chocolates Analogy

Life is like a box of chocolates…What you want is that coveted caramel but you know statistically there are only two caramels in each box of 25 chocolates. The rest are filled with maple or fruit or some other fruitcake concoction you have absolutely no interest in.

You carefully scan the box for a caramel. You note size and shape and are able to eliminate a few nuts. You are then left with about 20 possibilities. Still, the odds are stacked against you. That’s a 1 in 10 chance you will get a caramel. But hey, you’ve seen a caramel before and based on past experience you might be able to sway the odds in your direction.

Through deductive reasoning you narrow it down to about four possibilities. Statistically that’s a 50% chance. Your selections are all square or rectangle and they are evenly scattered across the box. You make an educated guess, settling on the one that has all of the outside characteristics of being caramel. You chose and hesitantly take a bite and immediately realize it’s not a caramel.

Sometimes it’s nougat, which; depending upon one’s taste, is acceptable. I like nougat. It’s not too sweet and not too bitter. Granted it’s no caramel. Sometimes it’s toffee. For me toffee is so much better than caramel. In which case I’m thinking…jackpot! 

But, sometimes it’s maple-filled. Again it depends on taste. Some people like maple. I am not one of those people. Maple filling creates an immediate gag reflex. I have no choice but to spit it out.

Of course with a box of chocolates one can try again if they happen to get the maple. This is where the analogy ends and life is not like a box of chocolates.