I have been watching a lot of SpaceX launches[1] lately and one thing that amazes me is how easy it looks from the outside for the Rocket to break through the Earth's gravity and get to the orbit. In reality, it goes through immense pressure and stress to reach the orbit. Once in the orbit though, it's almost effortless for the satellite to stay up there.
I could not help but see parlance of this behavior in the human struggle to better themselves.
Think of the satellite as a human being who is trying to change her[2] circumstances (professional or personal). Earth is her current reality and the orbit is her dream.
To make her dream a reality, she has to work through similar stresses and pressures to break through the gravity of her current situation. Unsupportive spouse or parents, social pressures, risking a secure life at times to count just a few.
However, if she makes it through that high-stress period without imploding or exploding, after a while all the stresses and pressures disappear. What remains is the freedom to navigate life with minimal effort.
You cannot jump from one stable state of your life to a higher stable state, without going through a lot of pressure and stress.
If you want that new job that you do not qualify for, but can't learn that skill as you have a full-time job already, you have to give up on sleep and other leisurly activities for some time, while you transition to that new job.
Want to lose weight but are always tired and barely scraping by getting all your daily duties done. You will have to dig deep and find that will-power to power through an exercise schedule for a few weeks, before you start feeling more energetic due to all that exercising and become more efficient in your daily tasks.
The other key factor in a successful launch is the booster. It helps the satellite power through the early stages of the flight when the external factors are the strongest.
Similarly, we humans need a good support system of family and friends if we ever hope to break through our current realities and achieve new heights.
In short, success does not come easy. Keep your friends and family close and keep fighting the negative forces; they will evetually disappear and life will become easier again.
If you have not seen any of the Falcon launches from SpaceX, I highly recommend you check out the Falcon Heavy test flight and watch through to the landing. ↩︎
I am not a feminist in any practical sense, and I just got tired of typing "his/her" everywhere. Considering that "him" got to represent mankind for so long in our literature, I think its time for us to switch gears and let "her" be a representative of all mankind for a while. ↩︎
