Lex I: Corpus omne perseverare in statu...
Every body persists in its state of being. An object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. To change these states requires an external force-- a force of great magnitude. A force that is strong enough to swim against the tide, to slip the bonds of earth, to stop boulders in their hillside tumbling, to prevent the wind from slipping through your fingers. So when thoughts are heavy-- weighted down-- there is no inclination to rise. And when opposite, spiraling (outward, upward, inward, downward), there is no call to stop. (STOP!) And here is the challenge: to somehow recognize the state in which your body persists and fight against it. Day after day. To accept this as your fate is to keep company with Sisyphus in his mad endeavor. Lex II: Mutationem motus proportionalem... Force is equal to mass times acceleration. So things can hit you hard if they are very big. Or very fast. An elephant may flatten you even if it sits upon you very slowly. And it isn't the size of the bullet that makes it deadly, but its velocity. The big things you expect to struggle with: loss of job, death in the family, natural disaster, tragic events. The surprise is in the small, sudden changes (good or bad) that can do quite a bit of damage if given sufficient acceleration. Lex III: Actioni contrariam semper et æqualem... For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Whenever I am functioning at what I think is my peak (but is in no way sustainable) I can look forward to a descent into very little functioning whatsoever. Time in company with many people requires time removed from all people. Great industry must fall into great sloth. Quick succession of fantastic ideas is only a hint that soon all thoughts will become sluggish. And forgetful. But somehow the descent into depression never seems to indicate a natural rise. This is the law that makes all things seem impossible. Comments are closed.
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K. BuchananQuaker, teacher, parent, |