Six Word Memoirs on Life Stories

illuminatrix says,

I like this, and it's kind of a double-edged sword. It would work just as well (well, your version has the edge, I think) as Why not sit astraddle a collapsing fence? if that meant something like 'the wall dividing the two sides of some issue will inevitably collapse and the war will somehow semantically resolve itself (or some other way), so why not ride it out, go down with the ship (now mixing metaphors badly), not takes sides on the issue that you can equally understand from both perspectives and you can see those on either side will eventually understand that, and stop quibbling. Until then, there's a better view of the interesting sociological chaos from up here on the fence.' I'd like to hear a brief expansion of the other, your side of this particular blade, why 'why'? I'm sitting here astraddle curiosity and concentration.

Dean6805 says,

I have always viewed fence-sitting as more of an avoidance behavior (and yes, I've been guilty of it) than simply observing and being thoughtful. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for making decisions- particularly those of an idealogical nature- with great care and after much deliberation. But I've seen people frozen by indecision refuse to make a move, and have watched as they've ridden that collapsing fence all the way to the ground in a bloody mess. My former wife was paralyzed by indecision on many occasions. She'd simply go to bed with a "migraine" and stay there until she figured the world had made her choice for her. I simply can't live that way.

It's also important to remember that when I write memoirs that seem to give advice, they're more often than not directed at myself as a reminder not to muck things up.