It’s been my experience that, if taken from a certain point of view, everything has a reason for happening. Based on my experience I don’t believe in random events. Events happen because of the reactions between two or more forces. Newton’s first law of motion states that, “Every ‘body’ remains in a state of constant velocity unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force. This means that in the absence of a non-zero net force, the center of mass of a body either remains at rest, or moves at a constant velocity.”
So this is my personal observation…
Without taking this out of context too much, I want to apply this to human interaction. It would most likely read something like this… “Everybody remains in a consistent direction unless they interact with another person. This means that in the absence of interaction, a person either remains at rest or moves in a consistent direction.”
This is very interesting for me to think about. Whether you believe in creation by God or not, you did not choose to create your own life. From birth our lives were put into motion by a higher power. The charted course of our life changes as we interact with the other “forces” around us. You can picture this as a giant bumper car ride. We are in motion in a certain direction until we hit an equal or opposite force. Those collisions create choices, decisions, lifestyles, history… etc. Some people take advantage of each motion; some people strive to put an end to motion.
It’s incredible how a single event at any given moment in the day can change your mood, your schedule, your thought process… etc. We tend to live like we are in control of our own life, but aren’t we at the mercy of the forces around us? All we are in control of is choosing our reaction. Even then, sometimes our reflexes act before we can think clearly. In a sense, we are on a crash course collision with every other life that is set in motion on a daily basis. We are forced to make quick decisions some times. Those reflex decisions can have deep impacts. Action, reaction, consequence.
A good example of potential action is the sport of golf. I spent a weekend with my girlfriend’s parents and helped out with a golf tournament that her dad had organized. Perhaps it’s my analytical personality or maybe there is meaning in a lot of things for those who look for it. I watched close to 80 golfers tee off from the hole that I was stationed at. Not one of them hit the ball the same. Simple enough. But the potential and expectation of that golf ball was probably close to the same every time. Each golfer wanted to hit the ball in a way that hit the fairway close to the hole. However, the action taken towards that goal was always different, in turn resulting in separate outcomes. We all have different personalities, understandings, and knowledge about life. This results in many different outcomes from the same origin of action. Two people can experience the same collision, but because of their separate dispositions, they will have different outcomes. Potential, action, outcome.
The explosion of variations to our day and the reality of how our daily routine actually goes are vastly different. No matter what choice we make, there will always be other choices we could have made, things we could have done and people we could have talked to. We can’t live life thinking about what could have been; instead we need to focus on what is and what should be. A vision is born out of an understanding of what is and what should be. Do we really take the time to observe the world around us and see what is and what should be? This world needs change. We can only be that change as one person. It’s my goal to take responsibility for the life that was put into motion for me and be the change I’m capable of offering. Observation, decision, action.
Opportunity evaporates like water in the sun. The longer you wait to take hold of an opportunity the less there is to take hold of. Some opportunities are like giant puddles that last a while, while others are like drops of water you have to catch in the air. We are each given the opportunity to live. How we take of that opportunity results in the unfolding of our life. Based on the opportunities we take advantage (the choice to cause a collision or take advantage of a collision you know will happen or that has happened), we create the “world” around us. Opportunity, understanding, reality.
What is the point to all of this?
If we are indeed moving forces in this world, then we are apart of a grand collision. By no means do I want to minimalize the significance of our individual power of choice and understanding. However, every moment holds a depth of opportunity, each to its own degree. The matrix of outcomes of each opportunity is something we can only imagine. To change the course of someone’s life only requires an interaction. If we each possess such a great power in that opportunity, how can we live life on such a course that we can change the world for the better? Change is made by seeing what is and acting towards what should be. Power, decision, change.
What will your next collision bring you?
“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
1 Timothy 4:15-16
