Life is Not Linear

Life is not linear. We have a tendency to look at life as if it will follow a linear progression. However, every once in a while we come across incidents reinforcing the idea that life is, in fact, not linear. Having such a framework regarding the world is usually used to establish how well you are doing. It provides a list of milestones that might not always be achieved. Such a worldview blindsides one from the fact that life events can not be predicted and do not always follow usual expectations. Many things occur around us, causing us to question reality. Despite the norm, certain actions may not produce the usual results. Still, mostly we ignore or dismiss such non-linear occurrences.

We need to unlearn and then relearn everything we know about ourselves, as opined by Jason Silva. We might try thinking differently about what becomes possible. Steven Johnson wrote about the 'Adjacent possible'. Adjacent possible is like a shadow from the future that hovers over the present and presents a map of all the ways the present can reinvent itself. As Shakespeare wrote, "We know what we are, we don't know what we might be. " We need to transcend what Michael Pollan calls the 'been theres' and 'done thats' of the adult mind" and to see the world as if from the child's eye. When we follow a linear path for life, it blinds us to many other opportunities that are available. Treading a linear life path may lead to resentment down the line. We expect that happiness will come after achieving a certain goal or accumulating wealth, allowing us to then enjoy the rest of our time here. However, it may not always work that way. That is why it is important to embrace change.