[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.]

“Why can’t things just work?” The frustration was apparent in the rhetorical question. He did not expect an answer when the air conditioner contactor failed in the heat of the afternoon, but he needed an outlet to vent. It is times like this that can dramatically impact a relationship. Had he not stayed in control, had he let anger be expressed, he likely would have said things he regrets and would have to apologize. Why do we vent on the people closest to us? It is not that the person is at fault, but the circumstance so stresses us that we may make explosive comments.

A similar expletive, particularly about relationships is “This is not as easy as it could be.” Both remind us that “stuff happens.” Then the retort reminded me of my grandparents, who had all these old sayings, which they repeated often, to address almost everything. It must be hereditary, because I find myself repeating the same sort of things. The “stuff happens” is not a flippant phrase, but a very deep philosophical comment. All this promoted a conversation with the grandson who was close by.

One of our Ph.D. archaeology friends frames the world in terms of the “chaos theory.” The theory originates from Genesis 1, where the ordered world seemingly came out of chaos, “without form and void.” The theory posits that all returns to chaos, which actually is a re-statement of the Third Law of thermodynamics. The supreme illustration is a box in which you place a string, rope, or wire. When you retrieve the object, what is the condition? It is invariably disordered, tangled, and knotted, which is chaos. The disorder or dispersion can be calculated and is called “entropy.” It is a tithe back to the universe for using its energy.

Grandson cleverly replied with Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Although pessimistic in tone, it is a succinct statement of chaos and the Third Law. A particularly ascerbic retort is ,”Murphy was an optimist.” He was obviously “having a bad day.”

We often pontificate, “There ain’t no free lunch.” This is the beginning or First Law of thermodynamics. Stated another way, “Someone has to pay.” The applications are myriad. In engineering terms, we assert, “The sum of the energy in a closed system is zero.” or “Energy can be neither created or destroyed, but may only change form.” Either or both should be part of the oath of office for politicians. So called ‘green energy’ is by definition less efficient and more expensive than natural resources. Budget deficits will be paid by someone, someway, sometime. “You cannot spend your way to wealth.”

We have seen the First and Third Laws, what is the Second? Plumbers reply, “Stuff runs downhill.” There is more effort and cost required to lift, elevate, or improve. Although we put the natural laws in the vernacular, they are the real fundamentals to engineering analysis. As illustrated, the same laws hold for physics as relationships.

If we “throw up our hands” and declare “it’s out of my hands, I can’t do anything about it,” then depression sets in, perpetuating a “spiral into oblivion.” Are there equally powerful admonitions for “lifting our spirits?” Absolutely. Some think they are philosophical or self-help, but are in reality historical and theological. The oldest historical record in common usage includes the Tanakh of traditional Jewish teaching and the New Testament of a later Jewish sect, which became Christianity. Although non-adherents may see it as oppressive and negative, it is singularly the most positive, encouraging, hopeful teaching in humankind. It illustrates the good, bad, and potential of human nature.

A highly-educated intellectual in the political class was Paul of Tarsus, a city in Turkey on par with Alexandria and Athens during the first century. Importantly, this location bestowed Roman citizenship. He wrote a letter to colleagues in the eastern Greece city of Philippi, affirming: “I can do all things, through Him who strengthens me.” This was not arrogance, but his accepted fact.

Matthew, a political bureaucrat tax collector, wrote a concise history of first century events in which he was a participant. He affirms, “Seek you first the realm of God, and his right way of thinking, then all these things will be provided to you.”

It is “looking at the world as possibilities instead of limitations.” Randomness is not what is happening, but is an indication of incomplete information or misunderstanding. If there are observable laws, then nature has an order.

Think about it. ‘People are where they are, because of choices they make.’ ‘Worries seldom are realized. Expectations are.’ ‘Faith is what you believe will happen. Fear is what you believe will happen. Only one is positive.’