There is nothing in nature, that I know of, that does the opposite of a whirlpool.  A vacuum sucks everything into it.  A tornado pulls things upward and then flings them about.  Everything that I can think of involves either a downward motion, a straight motion, or a generally random motion.  Nothing swirls upward infinitely towards a definite point, like a never-ending ice cream cone turned upside down.

And yet that is precisely what every human strives for; to find a reverse tornado; to get absorbed in something that leads to better things.  A lot of us find a solution in the work we do.  But everyone will at some time or another find themselves without a reliable outlet. The result? Boredom.

Trivialized as it is, boredom can lead to ugly things.  I’d rather keep the tone light so I won’t be specific, but anyone can name one at will.

I did my psychology thesis on the flow state – the state of mind when we are so engaged in an activity that our mind merges with the world around us.  The result, naturally, is that time flies by very quickly.  Flow is a psychologist’s word for fun, something we often take for granted and find difficult to define. We find different ways to achieve flow, but 100% of our life is oriented towards it.  In other words, no one wants to suffer.

This is why I find it puzzling that any mature adult would willfully inflict pain on another.  People need to be disciplined sometimes, but problems arise when you see people as less than what they are – sentient beings, capable of experiencing pain.  Religious fundamentalists, regardless of the faith they adhere to, are walking a fine line if they assign a greater value to themselves than others.

Anyway, let us all find our upward moving whirlpools, and when there are none in sight, have patience and strength and keep searching.

Keep on Keepin’ On.

Aj.