Musings of the Nature of Change

One day, I caught myself pondering (as I do) about time, space and the different paths my life has taken. I found this quote by Albert Einstein:

“I sometimes ask myself how it came about that I was the one to develop the theory of relativity. The reason, I think, is that a normal adult never stops to think about problems of space and time. These are things which he has thought about as a child.”

This encouraged me to continue on the course of my musings.

What is change? A particular passage in time. And what is time? A relative measure of space. And what is space? Infinite.

And so we know that change is infinite. It is the constant behavior of nature itself. It is creation in all its subtly; maintenance in all its endeavors; dissolution in all its pandemonium. It is a waltz, a foxtrot, the dance of bedlam. Choreographed perfectly to match the level of ones consciousness. This is why, when many see one event, we get many different accounts of said event.

Unfortunately some of us may view chaos as an uncomfortable air sprinkling about us as a fog or morning mist...as the niggling of an older sibling...the additional workload so graciously given by a colleague...that uncontrollable driver in the car behind; following too close...oblivious to our safety or comfort. In addition to our self produced chaos, let us not forget nature's version....earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, blizzards, heat waves, twisters....the list goes on...

Where does this leave us? Huddled in our houses buying everything from groceries to refrigerators online? Planning and saving and creating contingencies for all possibilities? Filled with fear and anxiety knowing that nature is uncontrollable?

We know what happens when we try to control nature....species die out, people become complacent, CO2 emissions rise, pollution becomes part of the landscape.

Forgive me. Please. It is not my intention to paint a bleak picture. I just wanted to think. Think about change.

I watched a program on “Free to Air” TV – yes, television can be watched with a rooftop antenna, no cable or satellite here in OZ – called “GREAT MIGRATIONS”. Talk about pandemonium! Life giving, death defying migrations by butterflies, water buffalo, zebra, crabs....these animals, driven by instinct, by habit, by some internal knowing...driven by nature....this show showed us this bedlam (in slow motion)....and..............

It was beautiful...nature in the raw....following the path of change, in this case, evolution...a necessary path, for without it...to deny or ignore it, a species might perish. So I thought...are we the only species to strive to control that which cannot be controlled?

We must remind ourselves it is knowledge of change, of growth, that allows us an extraordinary opportunity to gather experiences...of events in life that rock our foundations, our core, our soul...and from them we learn...we grow...we evolve. To gather these experiences, to share them, to pass them on to other generations...this is how we connect...how we form common,loving bonds with other people...not only our family and friends, but strangers and acquaintances too.

Then, I came back to earth....I thought about the previous day....it was a blustery winter's day...the rain came in torrents at times....the wind howled, pushed, prodded everything in its path, even reaching around corners to find a stray leaf....it was a day to rent a DVD and make popcorn, all the time being thankful for a heater and wool blankets. Then....change. This morning brought back shadows cast by sunlight and clouds that race and run across the sky. Nature, change, life....hmmmm....time to get back to the laundry!

Here are pictures of natural Australia for my American friends and family.

Natural