First, some physics. Bear with me, I promise it will be
brief and then I’ll get to the point (which is not physics) right away.
Physics, in many ways, is all about studying and
understanding interactions. Objects in physics (and they can be anything –
waves, particles, whatever) interact with one another. Otherwise, the universe
would be static and boring, and there would be nothing worth studying in the
first place. And there wouldn’t even be any means of studying it in the second
place, since the only real way to learn about anything is to interact with it,
or to observe it interact with its surroundings.
Interactions in physics involve some kind of exchange –
usually an exchange of energy or momentum (although that’s really only the tip
of the iceberg). Physicists now understand that all the forces that make the
universe tick (think of gravity, electricity, etc) are in fact merely the
result of interactions between objects. And these interactions take place
through messenger particles carrying energy and momentum with them. In the case
of the electro-magnetic force, the messenger is light itself: a single photon.
People interact in much the same ways. People are ‘objects’
too, in this physics sense of the word: they interact with each other, exchange
energy and momentum (and a whole lot more besides), and a lot can be learned about
them by studying their interactions with others. The world is neither static
nor boring – on the contrary, it is chock full of interaction. And nowhere is
this more true than at the human level – the level of human interaction. And
just like the principles of physics explain the interactions between physical
objects, there should be principles that explain the interactions between people, or at that least help us
understand them better.
As I’ve blundered my way through life, I have on occasion
stumbled upon some of these principles. Some of them came through bursts of
intuition. Most had been stewing subconsciously in my head for a long time
before crystalizing. But being the fairly reserved, introverted person I am, I
have largely kept them to myself – not because I was unwilling to share, but
because I didn’t know how to do so. To be honest, I was (still am, actually)
afraid others wouldn’t care at all about what I had discovered, or simply
wouldn’t understand – not least because I struggle so much to communicate
effectively.
Fortunately, (for me, and I hope for you too, in some way) I
recently met a friend who both cares a great deal and expends great energy
trying to understand – and believe me, it’s not easy. I struggle mightily to
communicate things verbally that make sense to me on an intuitive level. When
the last puzzle piece clicks into place it isn’t necessarily true that you can
immediately turn the guy next to you and explain it. And even if you could, he
would probably think you were pretty weird. Anyway, this wonderful friend both
listens and tries to understand, and really does incredibly well in both
respects. At the end of one particularly meaningful conversation (during which
a lot of light was exchanged) she
urged me to blog about some of this stuff. She said it was useless if it stayed
cooped up in my head, and that there were more people out there than I realized
who would appreciate and value it. I instantly knew she was right, so I decided
to follow her advice.
First though, an important disclaimer: I don’t consider
myself very wise and don’t think I have a particularly firm grasp of life
either. If anyone else out there has it figured out, pray tell. But if my
experience in life has taught me anything it’s that even if someone were to let
me in on all of life’s secrets it probably wouldn’t help me out all that much.
Life is one of those things you have to experience for yourself to understand
and for its lessons to mean anything to you.
What I mean to share here are the ingots of truth I have
managed to smelt from the fairly boring ore of everyday life. And if there is
anything of value here I don’t take any credit. I owe all the paltry wisdom I
have accrued to my God. My heavenly father has loved me and nurtured my spirit
for a very long time. If there is truth in anything I post here, the glory is
all his.
