movement-versus-monotony

Sir Issac Newton was known for his accomplishments as a Mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, theologian, and alchemist. His knowledge and understanding in such a vast area of studies led him to what we know today as, "Newton's Laws of Motion." Through these laws we've been told that, "every action has an equal and opposite reaction..." The idea that every action is accountable to it's reaction is something that to ponder takes an understanding of consequences and repercussions. In life we realize in many ways that our movement, or the lack thereof will eventually define us; that is the action, and the opposite reaction.

I've always been a fan of the word stagnant, by definition this word means; not circulating or not flowing, sluggish, dull, not developing, not progressing, no sign of activity or advancement, etc. Something about just reading those descriptive words about the term 'stagnant' just make me want to climb a mountain, learn Portuguese, and run the Boston Marathon. Our movement and progression is such a intricate part of our placement and importance in society that we dare not sacrifice our success for stagnancy. Not to say that society can determine our worthiness, but we mustn't think that our actions don't have significant consequences and long-term impact on the impression we leave on it.

I use the word 'monotonous' religiously in my blogs; it tends to be one of those roll-off-the-tongue type of words that seemingly fit into a plethora of perfect places in my writings. However, one of the many reasons I use the word (and it's various forms) is because of its strong meaning. The word 'monotonous' can be defined by such terms: lacking in variety, unvarying, having minimal inflection, tediously repetitious, tiresome, etc. Whoa! If that doesn't crawl under your skin like the intrusively obnoxious pitch of a bad set of brakes I don't know what will. Who, in knowing that definition would ever want to live life as such?

We don't look back on history and ponder retrograde within great societies and discuss how their regress has made those good civilizations great. It wouldn't make sense to complement someone on their retrogress either. The concept of applauding a lack of progress is completely absurd and I'm almost sure that no one would do such; however, the idea of promoting stagnancy seems quite common and accepted throughout culture. It seems quite easy to give up your dreams and chase the money when their are companies offering such lucrative payouts for jobs that none of us would have ever dreamed doing. So, at the end of your lives we may have money, but have we accomplished our dreams? Have we progressed? Did we choose payment over progress?

The problem with money is that their is a lot of it. In America, as of 2007, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (also known as the BEP) printed approximately 38 million notes a day with an estimated face-value of around $750,000,000.00. So, we can rightfully assume that the number printed has grown exponentially and could be significantly higher today. So, with all this money out there to be made we'd be foolish to think it doesn't have a bit of a stranglehold on society as a whole; the overall progress in more means that financially. With the economy is such a desperate state-of-being it's a massive paradigm shift for us as American's. We might have to consider the realization that we may have to actually pursue something we are gifted in and enjoy and be content with the reality that it may not make us 'MC Hammer' rich.

I used to dream of hitting the lottery as a kid; heck, I still do as an adult. I used to watch my friends parent's spend $50 a day on scratch tickets when I was a kid. They'd win $20 or $30 a day and feel like they'd 'progressed.' Somehow, someway, and through some means they'd been convinced that it was easier to win money than to work for it; most likely because they'd been on welfare so long they forgot what work felt like. I heard a quote from famed American Cartoonist Kin Hubbard a while back in regards to gambling, "The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket..." Something I was able to realize at a young age is that nothing good comes in life without a good amount of work; my dad worked 25 hours a day it seemed like, minimum wage jobs, and his countenance was never based on his bank account.

So, why get caught up in the ugliness of movement when we can be captured by the beauty of monotony? Right? Wrong! Their is a diligence required in progress; it isn't an innate characteristic that pushes us forward but more so a habitually trained desire for something better. We don't get captivated by movement when we allow ourselves to conform to the monotonous. Ralph Waldo Emerson had this to say in regards to progress: "Progress is the activity of today and the assurance of tomorrow..." What we bind up today will be loosed tomorrow. So, be caught up in movement and continuously strive towards greatness and never settle for less than your best, and always remember shortcuts, aren't.