This world is full of people who don't think like I do, thought he. He was looking out through the window of his desolate room at the kids playing football in the yard. They passed the ball to each of their buddies hoping that they would carry the ball and maneuver it to its ultimate becoming, the goal. He wondered how a simple sport like football can teach these kids so many lessons about life and having goals, that these kids will not realize even if they read 100's of books and consult their parents an equal amount of time. The ball's only 'goal' is to reach the goal post, all these players are mere an incidental force focusing that ball's desire to reach it. There will be obstacles in the way, there would be forces that would want to stop the ball and steer it into some other direction, but the ball must persist amidst all these influences, to reach its goal.
How flawed is then, our sense of control, when all the ball has to do is wait for the influence from the players who will reshape its direction at every kick? Control is an illusion which the ball can afford to exert onto itself, thinking that it might only move to its goal if it could remain inflated throughout the journey. It must not allow these forces to deflate its enthusiasm.
What a sorry state to be in? We all believe that we control our goals and take requisite actions to reach them, but all this time, our directions to reach those goals are being shaped and reshaped by several external forces, which may or may not want us to pursue that direction. The ball's story, is a constant fight for direction, its round shape doesn't help at all, it bounces off these forces to eventually realize that its internal compass hasnt been working for a long time and it's being driven to its destination.
What then are my goal posts? How many do I have? Which forces will stop me from reaching each of these? When will I be kicked in some other direction and when will some other force kick me back to my track? The ball only anticipates, expecting jolt after jolt of passive movement in some direction or the other. But there is one thing, the ball doesn't realize, the Earth is round. Being on a round surface it always rolls off into some new direction, wherever the slope might take it. That's the advantage the ball should think of, the price to pay for constant movement, is a directionless motion devoid of influences. For without an influence, no goals could be reached.
The only consolation the ball has is to make sure that it is kicked around by really good forces. Forces that wouldn't allow the ball to reach any other goals, but the ones desired.
How flawed is then, our sense of control, when all the ball has to do is wait for the influence from the players who will reshape its direction at every kick? Control is an illusion which the ball can afford to exert onto itself, thinking that it might only move to its goal if it could remain inflated throughout the journey. It must not allow these forces to deflate its enthusiasm.
What a sorry state to be in? We all believe that we control our goals and take requisite actions to reach them, but all this time, our directions to reach those goals are being shaped and reshaped by several external forces, which may or may not want us to pursue that direction. The ball's story, is a constant fight for direction, its round shape doesn't help at all, it bounces off these forces to eventually realize that its internal compass hasnt been working for a long time and it's being driven to its destination.
What then are my goal posts? How many do I have? Which forces will stop me from reaching each of these? When will I be kicked in some other direction and when will some other force kick me back to my track? The ball only anticipates, expecting jolt after jolt of passive movement in some direction or the other. But there is one thing, the ball doesn't realize, the Earth is round. Being on a round surface it always rolls off into some new direction, wherever the slope might take it. That's the advantage the ball should think of, the price to pay for constant movement, is a directionless motion devoid of influences. For without an influence, no goals could be reached.
The only consolation the ball has is to make sure that it is kicked around by really good forces. Forces that wouldn't allow the ball to reach any other goals, but the ones desired.
2 comments:
Lot of people say, if we put efforts, we can achieve whatever we want to achieve. But in some sense, our life is ACTUALLY like a ball, where EVERYTHING is driven by an external force. For e.g., even your most beloved college proffessor who changed your life is also an external force. He made you realize something, convinced you and hence, now you are travelling in this particular direction.
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