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The Power of Relativity

 Relativity can be understood in many different ways and applied to many different situations. The definition of Relativity is, no situation is either good or bad it just is. Now, some of you might be wondering what that could possibly mean?  Well, if we had something that is normally considered as a “bad” situation, it isn't actually a bad situation. Every experience that happens to you, you can choose to assign positive or negative meaning to it. Let's say that you are late for work because you are stuck in traffic. We normally associate this as a bad thing, but you could choose to shift your thinking towards a positive perspective that you are happy to have a functioning car to get yourself to work . Relativity means that nothing is good or bad until you assign meaning to it; it just depends on your perception of a given situation. In other words, relativity is all relative to the way that you choose to look at something. The things that happen in your life can become better or great if you are wanting and willing to change your way of thinking to your situations and being open to a possible outcome, the opposite is also applicable. If you were to think about the things that happen to you in a more positive light it would allow you to change your mind into thinking in a more positive way. 


    You never know how a situation could affect you in the long run or how it could possibly benefit you in the future, so it is better to think that the given situation will benefit you for the better besides assigning poor thoughts or emotions to  things that have happened to you.

    

"File:Chinese farmer 1.jpg" by Ferox Seneca is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

An example that illustrates this concept is the story of the Chinese farmer who lost his horse because it ran away. All of the farmer’s neighbors came over that evening and said, “That's too bad!”

     The farmer replied with, “Maybe.”

    The next day, the horse came back with seven wild horses, and the neighbors came back again and said,

     “Wow, that's wonderful!”  

    The farmer said,  “Maybe."

    The next day the farmer’s son attempted to tame one of the wild horses by riding it.  The son broke his leg and the neighbors said, “Well that’s too bad isn't it?”  

The farmer said, “Maybe."

    The next day the officers came to recruit his son to the army, but the officers rejected his son because he was injured. Yet again the neighbors said, “That’s wonderful!”

     The farmer replied with “Maybe."

     In life there are so many outcomes to actions, it is impossible to really tell if anything is good or bad because you will never know the consequences of the misfortunes, or the consequences of the good fortunes. Therefore, we never fully know the consequences and they remain to be seen. The power of relativity is when you can turn what feels “bad” and turn it into something good.


Relativity has affected my life recently when I found out that my best friend might be moving away. My initial thought and reaction was, that’s horrible and unfair. That wasn’t going to get me anywhere because I can’t change the situation myself. I tried to look for the good things about it, and what could possibly make this situation a “good” thing? Even though it was a little bit hard I found some good possible outcomes and also focused on how it would be good for her family. The fact that she is moving away still hurts, but it has made it easier and it sometimes makes it seem like it is a good thing. I am glad that I chose to think differently about the situation or else I would be focusing on the negative things and it would only end up hurting me more. 

Ava


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