LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE - Law of Relativity

Law of Relativity

Everything is relative to something else. 

This law tells us that nothing in our world is naturally good or bad, big or small, easy or difficult, until it is compared with something else.  Things are neither bad nor good.  It's how we label things based on our learned behaviors.  Rather, things are neutral, and it's how we give them meaning.  That's what explains each of our individual points of view.

Example:  If we are sitting in a room.  You may say that the room is large.  I may say the room is small.  Both of us are comparing the size of the room to another room we've seen before.  In reality, the room just is.  Both of us give the room meaning, according to our perspective.

When two people disagree about something, it is this law of relativity that helps us better understand why there's a difference in the way they think.  Each one has a different understanding of the subject of disagreement.  Each one views it from where they're coming from.  How the subject affects them.  

This universal law can be helpful, especially now when there is such a great division among us.  Let's think about two people, one lives on the east side of the building and the other on the west side of the same building.  One person sees the sun rise.  The other sees the sun set.  The one living on the east side complains about the bright sun shining in through their windows in the morning.  The west person can't understand why the east person is so upset.  The moral of the story is that we view the world from our personal vantage point.  We can complain and condemn and criticize all we want, but we must keep in mind that everything in our world is relative to how it affects us personally.  We ourselves give things their meaning as it pertains to us.  

Another example:  Four people go for a ride.  One couple sits in the front seats, the other couple in the back seat.  The couple sitting in the front are cold and want the heater on.  The couple sitting in the back are hot and want the air conditioner on.  It doesn't matter what the temperature is set on,  one of the couples will be miserable.  It doesn't mean that the car is to blame.

It helps to think about our own beliefs, values, interests and passions.  One person is drawn to art, the other to sports.  One wants to go to a gallery, the other wants to go to the gym.  The art enthusiast cannot understand why anyone would want to spend the afternoon working out in a gym.  The sports enthusiast can't fathom spending the afternoon in an art gallery looking at stuff on the wall that doesn't make sense.  

Understanding and appreciating the differences among us is paramount to a less violent society.  It makes no sense to be openly hostile toward those who don't see the world from your vantage point.  Each one of us places differing levels of importance on different issues in life.  The events that happen in one person's life can shape the way that person responds to life. 

What may be a W to one person may be an M to the other.  It's all relative.