In my last post, I briefly touched upon the concept of human intertia and how it keeps us from realizing our deepest desires. Human intertia causes us to do the same things day after day, year after year until our habits become so engrained that we wouldn\u2019t ever consider the possibility of changing. Today, let\u2019s explore this concept in more detail to discover exactly what this force is and how to use it to our advantage.<\/p>\n
Inertia is defined as the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest. Humans, being physical objects, are subject to the same resistance on a physical scale. But we are not talking about our bodies in this case. I refer to human inertia as a person\u2019s resistance to changing his state of being or behavior.\u00a0 Another name for it could be behavioral inertia. We all have our comfort zones and with few exceptions, we like to stay in them, even if we aren\u2019t particularly satisfied with our station in life. We make excuses such as, \u201cOh, I\u2019m not smart enough,\u201d or \u201cI have too much to do,\u201d or \u201cIf people don\u2019t like me the way I am, that\u2019s their problem.\u201d In fact, if you hear something that sounds like an excuse for inaction, this is the voice of human inertia.<\/p>\n
Human intertia is a double-edged sword.\u00a0 It can keep people mired in unwanted or even dangerous conditions, or it can propel people to unimagined heights of achievement. There are countless documented cases of battered wives calling the police on their abusive husbands, then refusing to press charges when the police arrive.\u00a0 It is more comfortable and less frightening to stay in an abusive situation than it is to leave home not knowing what the future may hold.\u00a0 Human inertia has anchored these women in a dangerous, repressive situation.\u00a0 We have also seen individuals who refuse to accept whatever obstacles life has presented them.\u00a0 They may have a severe physical handicap or perhaps were born into a life of poverty and hardship. Instead of giving in to the hand they were dealt, they will themselves to overcome and, after overcoming an obstacle, continue to achieve, continue to overcome.\u00a0 Human inertia continues to propel them forward.<\/p>\n
So a simple, direct question is in order at this point.\u00a0 If humans encounter a situation that is clearly inconsistent with their deires, or worse yet threatens their well-being, why do they resist changing their situation? In a word, fear.\u00a0 People fear change.\u00a0 They fear things that are different.\u00a0 Fear is the biggest reason why human inertia works against people.\u00a0 Fear stops people from achieving their dreams.\u00a0 Worse, it stops them from even trying.\u00a0 I once read an article on fear and found a great comparison between fear and faith. The article defines faith as believing that what you cannot see will come to pass. It then defines fear as believing that what you cannot see will come to pass.\u00a0 Sounds rather similar, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n
It seems that the positive side of human intertia is rooted in faith while the negative side is rooted in fear.\u00a0 As we have seen from the definitions of faith and fear, both are the same thing with the only difference being the object of our faith or fear. If this is true, then those of us whose lives are ruled by fear should be able to change our state by changing the object of our fear.\u00a0 If we focus only on the negative possibilities that could result from making a change, it is unlikely we will ever attempt a change.\u00a0 But if we focus on the positive rewards that could result from change and refuse to entertain thoughts of negative consequences, we are much more likely to try.<\/p>\n
The early 20th century witnessed the birth of the self-help industry with a great number of writings being introduced extolling the power of the mind and of right thought.\u00a0 It has been said that the inner world of the mind is largely responsible for the outer world that we experience.\u00a0 I believe this to be true, but not for some mystical reason.\u00a0 Rather, we are able to create the world of our desires by focusing our thoughts on the outcomes we want.\u00a0 This focus becomes faith and faith can overcome human inertia.\u00a0 Faith can move mountains.\u00a0 Faith can motivate us to take action, to move.\u00a0 And a body in motion tends to stay in motion\u2026<\/p>\n
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In my last post, I briefly touched upon the concept of human intertia and how it keeps us from realizing our deepest desires. Human intertia causes us to do the same things day after day, year after year until our … Continue reading