A little thought expirement.
Gravity at the basic level is attraction between two different sets of mass. The dandelion seeds floating in the air past the window have gravitational pull on the Sun. The sun has a much stronger pull on the floating dandelion seed, however. Pretty simple. Newton made the subject popular. Props to the man for making it cool to be aware of our surroundings.
Now the second part to it. The pull of gravity attenuates with distance. In other words, the sun's gravitational pull is weaker on the dandelion seed than the pull that the earth has, because the earth is right here. The proximity of the earth to the dandelion seed trumps the incredible mass of the sun. There is some famous law that I discovered because of Google and Wikipedia. It's called the inverse square law. Its the mathematical formula for calculating the attenuation of forces with distance.
So why am I talking about this? Well, because it's a principle. And because the inverse square law is a principle, it applies to more than just things with mass. And with this principle, there are two parts to the equation: size and distance.
Let's talk about distance first.
What does this mean? For starters, we love the things in life we are closer to, or more familiar with. Spending time with a loved one increases the attraction, for example. We also become more emotionally connected to a job the longer we work at it. I would even hypothesize to say that the same rule applies - The strength of our relationships is equal to the inverse of the square square of the distance of that relationship.
In other words, if you want to have a better relationship with someone, you have to get closer to them. If this is a novel idea, here's a few ideas to practice. If this is old news, you're probably already doing these things.
- talk openly about how you feel to grow closer emotionally
- spend quality time together to be close (literally)
- Introduce proper physical touch. Even bros can hug it out once in a while
- Teach and learn with the other person
- Seeing new things and having different experiences naturally bond people.
Relationships, especially familial relationships, should be a strong bond strengthened by few to no barriers.
Distance directly effects strength.
The second part of the equation has to do with the size.
The larger footprint of a person or organization, the more powerful the pull. The United States, for example, has such a large impact of the world not because of wealth, but rather because the sheer number of wealthy individuals in the country. Apple has a larger impact on the world than a small company like HP. In another sense, a larger relationship like mother-son, or even grandma-granddaughter is much stronger than a relationship between 2nd cousins.
Size directly effects impact.
Coupled together, size of a relationship with its impact and distance of a relationship with its strength compose the indicator of power.
Power increases when two or more parties come together because of the multiplier. As an example, organizations that are larger tend to have an easier time recruiting. Larger organizations also have more power.
So, in the end, our lives become more meaningful when we align with something larger than ourselves. Religion, sports, and especially our countries instill pride and contribute to a feeling that we are something important. So, get out there and get involved. But choose wisely.
No comments:
Post a Comment