Newton’s First Law states that:
An object in motion stays in motion unless an external force acts upon it; an object at rest stays at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it.
When Newton first formulated his laws of motion, he had little knowledge of the impact his findings would have on science and the world. You may remember Newton’s First Law from your high school science class, possibly having had to have memorized it for a test or pop quiz only to lose it amongst the frenzy of information already stored by your brain. You probably didn’t think twice about it, boxing it into a category of science that you will never actually need.
This law doesn’t just apply to science, however.
In fact, I can assure you that this law can be traced back to the origins of human history, and will continue to remain a prevalent part of our collective human experience, even if it goes unbeknownst to us.
Aside from its scientific implications, the ideology and concept of Newton’s First Law takes us to the root, the origin of change, long lasting or otherwise. It takes us to the root of what it means to be human, and why we are the way we are.
When man first became aware, first began to hunt and control fire, he followed a pattern. Man did not deviate from his simple, animalistic tendencies; he simply survived, but did not thrive. He lived, but did not strive for something greater. Man was in a state of rest, and had not yet been pushed by an external force.
Then, something clicked.
It may have been the Ice Age, or it may have just been a need for change. Man was pushed to strive for something greater, and only then did civilization begin to develop. Had it not been for that external force, that push, we may have stayed savage cave men for the entire duration of our existence.
Man developed and continues to develop today as a cause of the external pushes and forces it feels from time to time.
He never stays the same.
The revolutions and wars of the world came from action, from force, from a tiring of the constant way of things that called for change. The people exerted a force, and so began a shift into a state of motion. Once these revolutions were put into motion, they did not cease until the necessary force was again exerted, this time to quell the people and bring about the change asked for.
But this ideology, this process, isn’t just something that belongs in the past, or to just humanity as a whole. It can be applied individually, and a recognition of this can be vital to living the life you want.
If you want something in your life, in your world, to change, you have to genuinely exert a force to change it. You have to use all of your facilities, your willpower, your entire being, to make this change happen. Things will not change if you do not do so. Human history confirms this. If you do nothing, your life will retain the same, static pattern that was set in motion in the first place.
I know it is easier said than done to take action to make a genuine, everlasting change in your life. Once your change is in motion, however, you will reap the countless benefits in more ways than you can imagine. Whether it is in your family life, your education, or even just your interaction with the world, you are the one who holds the power to make a change.
The bare, essential ideology of Newton’s First Law gives me hope. It tells me something important that I, that we all, often forget: you CAN make a change. Things DO NOT have to stay the same. They can, if you do not try. But if you try, change is BOUND to happen.
– Pihu J.