PARADOX OF CHOICE: Similarly Different

Nostalgia for the simple life and uncomplicated everyday options seized my middle-aged mind when, abroad, one ran out of toothpaste, and dashed to the supermarket. The plan of action - zip in, pick up the toothpaste, race back to make it to the meeting on time - got unstuck from the word 'Go'. I found the Oral Care section at the retail outlet. There, stretching as far as the eye could see, were toothpastes: Total Fresh Stripe, Janina Whitening, Advanced Whitening, Fresh Energy Gel, Herbal Family Protection, more Active Gel this time Red Hot...the ridiculously large selection boggled the mind. All one wanted was a simple toothpaste that one routinely buys, something with a minty flavour. I moved from left aisle to right aisle looking for it. No go. I was dazzled by more toothpaste options moving to another aisle: Baking Soda and Peroxide Whitening with Tartar Control, Herbal White, 2-in-1 Germicheck...the bounty of the marketplace was impressive, even if it made my head spin. I remembered my morning meeting some 20 minutes on, mesmerised by it all and bowled over by the giddy progress the toothpaste industry had made. "Where the heck is mint?" i muttered under my breath. An elderly sardarni probably heard me, for she said, "Beta, there." I raced to the 'mint' shelf after thanking her. Almost immediately the heart started pounding faster.
In front was a forest of White Daily Fluoride Mint, Classic Strong Mint, Ginger Mint, Cool Mint Freshness, Jasmin Mint, Ayurvedic Fresh Mint, Herbal Mint...deluged by mints, i found myself going "Which mint? Which mint?"
That was months ago. I found to my horror shopping again for toothpaste back home that phoren craziness had taken over my friendly neighbourhood kirana. Hordes of toothpaste brands, fruity flavours included, adorned the shelves. A choice that should be easy and simple had become tricky and complex. I found that choices were abounding in our daily lives like never before when thinking about it later. Milk at the booth looks similar but comes in different coloured sachets. Flick television channels, programmes come on that are eerily and monotonously similar. At the clothing store, most jeans look similar. In the grocery store, all imported apples look the same. Is this bewildering array of choices draining our brains and restricting us rather than freeing us? Over to you Jaaved Jaffrey: tell us, what's different?