This morning I was reading Alan Lightman‘s book Probabilities Impossibilities: Musings on Beginnings and Endings, where he made this fascinating observation,
“In nature it is the difference in adjacent conditions that makes things happen.
An airplane is kept aloft by the difference in air pressure below and above its wings. Make the pressures the same… and the plane cannot fly. Steam engines are driven by the difference in temperature between the boiler and surrounding material. Make the temperature the same everywhere, whatever the value, and the engine will come to a halt.”
At times in our lives, we all long for balance. Balance makes us feel grounded. Balance keeps us from falling down. But it is worth considering Lightman‘s point that change, in particular forward movement, only occurs when there is a difference between “adjacent conditions.”
Sometimes a “difference in adjacent conditions” occurs beyond our prompting. But we also have the potential to create these situations ourselves. For example, if we feel stuck to add a new project, class, or habit to our lives. Step outside of patterns we use to navigate our day. To intentionally create an imbalance in order to “make,” as Lightman phrases it, “something happen.”
——
If you know someone who might like to receive a daily email of On Emotions CLICK HERE.
To download or share a free copy of my new book How to Feel (a little better): 50 Ideas for 2024 CLICK HERE.
On Emotions 