inertia – Grandpa Bob Encouraging Leadership

Every now and then, I think about people who are no longer here and ask myself what they left with me. A lesson. A phrase. A moment I still can’t fully explain.

Mr. McNally left me a question.

He was teaching us about entropy in his AP Chemistry class and asked why the air in a bicycle tire doesn’t simply settle to the bottom.

Air has weight. Gravity acts on it. So why doesn’t all the air sink to the lowest part of the tire like a pile of sand? Why does it keep pressing outward against the walls?

It’s a simple image, which is probably why I still remember it almost fifty years later.

The air inside the tire is made up of tiny particles moving rapidly in every direction. They collide with each other, and with the inside wall of the tire. Those collisions create pressure.

Gravity is present but its pull is weak compared to the thermal energy of all those molecules.

The air fills the space it’s given. It presses outward. It resists settling.

That old chemistry question came back to me recently as a life question.

What keeps us from settling? From succumbing to the gravitational pull in all of us.

Staying where life feels familiar. Waiting for more certainty. Keeping the pattern because changing it will cost us something.

Waiting sounds reasonable. It borrows the language of patience, prudence, and practicality. And at times, those are the right virtues. Wisdom often tells us to slow down.

But inertia can dress itself up as wisdom. Fear can call itself realism. Comfort can pretend to be peace.

That’s when we begin settling to the bottom of our lives.

The air doesn’t fulfill its purpose by collecting in the lowest place. It fills the available space. It presses against the walls. It creates pressure because motion is still happening inside.

Human life has its own version of that energy.

Purpose. Discipline. Faith.

These keep us from sinking into the lowest-energy version of ourselves.

The tire reminds us that pressure comes from movement. A life with purpose has an outward push to it. It presses against fear, complacency, and inertia. It expands into the space it has been given.

We don’t have to be reckless or maintain constant motion. But we need enough internal purpose to overcome the quiet pull of our internal gravity.

I’m grateful Mr. McNally asked that question all those years ago. At the time, it was a chemistry lesson about entropy, motion, and pressure.

Decades later, it’s still teaching me.

The tire doesn’t fight gravity. It just has something inside it that never stops moving.

I think that’s all any of us can ask of ourselves.

Photo by Leon Seierlein on Unsplash

Newton’s first law of motion (also called the law of inertia), states that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force. While this principle is foundational in physics, it can be applied to the way we live our lives.

In our daily lives, it’s easy to remain at rest. We experience moments of doubt and confusion, low motivation, and a natural tendency to avoid change. This mental and emotional inertia can keep us stuck, making it difficult to take action or move forward. Organizations often reinforce this inertia with incentives that promote the perceived “safety” of maintaining the status quo.

As we age, this resistance to movement can become even stronger. We rely on past experiences, often using them as justifications for inaction. “It didn’t work before, so why would it work this time?” This mindset is a barrier to personal growth and fulfillment.

Unfortunately, a life at rest, devoid of risk and new experiences, can become empty and unfulfilling.

Our goal should be to actively push against the inertia holding us in place. This involves taking risks, trying new things, and offering our time and energy to others. Overcoming inertia requires a conscious effort to break free from the comfort of staying still.

The second part of Newton’s law of inertia emphasizes that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. This should be a powerful motivator. Once we start moving in a direction, it’s likely that we’ll continue to do so unless something actively stops us.

Turns out that those around us are battling their own inertia and may not have the energy to impede our progress.

By choosing to move, we can capitalize on opportunities that arise. While others remain stuck in their self-imposed rest, we can explore new paths, achieve our goals, and live our most fulfilling life long before they even notice what we’re doing.

Embrace the motion. Take action. Push past the barriers, especially self-imposed barriers. The world is full of opportunities for those who dare to tap into the Newtonian motion that’s available to each of us…all we have to do is move.

p/c – Benjamin Voros, Unsplash.com