The Four Forces

Ever since human beings began creating the artifacts that uniquely mark our species among all others on the planet, there has been a recognition that whenever one sets out to create a masterpiece in any medium; tangible or intangible, there are four forces at work in space-time that must be skillfully managed in order to preserve the work.

Nature

The force that drives the world we live in, and the universe in which the world exists.

Society

The force created by human beings that drives the collective of people alive in the world.

Individuals

The force produced by individual people who have a direct influence upon your work.

The Self

The force produced by oneself to preserve or destroy one’s work.

Force 1: Nature

Remove all human beings from the Earth for a moment and suspend us all in space. Looking down upon the Earth and outward into space, all we see is the first force we call nature. It is the sum total (for the moment) of all that is not distinctly human. 

Our species has recognized this totality within which we exist as a powerful force over which we have no control. Nature is a force comprised of a collection of forces including all other non-human species set in motion on its own course; guided or unguided by forces seen or unseen. 

Returning ourselves to the Earth again as a participating force within Nature, the historical record of the human species informs us that if we are to flourish and not be destroyed by the force of Nature, we must continually understand its patterns and align our behaviors or risk losing our individual and collective work through our own carelessness. 

Force 2: Society

Human society is the force comprised of the larger human organizational structures we call cultures, governments, norms, etc. Society is a force sometimes controllable but quite often not, that has a great impact on the work of the individual. 

As a force, societies manifest behaviors in many ways similar to natural weather patterns on Earth which one must be aware of in order not to carelessly expose one’s masterpiece work to harmful circumstances. At times societies are still and unwavering, at other times explosive. 

Trying to develop one’s life masterpiece in an inhospitable social environment can be an exercise in futility. Society is a force sometimes controllable but quite often not. This is a force of our own making, yet often as indifferent and impersonal as Nature itself.

Force 3: Individuals

Individuals are a force similar to planets in our orbit. We revolve around one another pushing and pulling exerting the twin gravitational forces of attraction and repulsion. 

As a force, we possess a significant amount of control to manage it through our ability to change our position in relation to another individual avoiding direct collision and maintaining ourselves intact. However, this is not always the case. 

There are many individuals within our orbit who possess a strong gravitational force upon us including parents, friends, family, partners, and associates. Others unknown to us can also direct force against us. Awareness and management of this force are paramount to successfully crafting and curating your life masterpiece.

Force 4: The Self

You are the craftsperson of your unique life. You wield extraordinary force over the masterpiece you are creating. You have the ability to vision and craft what the final masterpiece might become. 

Even when exposed to or affected by the other Forces, you can realign your work to its former or perhaps redesigned state. Just as a cottage can be repaired or rebuilt after an encounter with a Force.

As a Force yourself, you are also capable of misshaping or damaging your work through carelessness or intention. All human beings have or will at some moment in our lives direct our own Force upon ourselves causing damage or misalignment of our inner or outer material. The cause of such action is important inasmuch that if we can identify the root cause, we may decide to avoid repeating it again in the future.

Equally as important is the decision and the application of one’s ‘Self-Force’ to the correction and realignment of one’s work to bring it back into a state of balance and continue forward in the work at hand; to Make a Masterpiece of Your Life.