The never-ending experiment…

Life is quite the journey. It can feel like this never-ending experiment where we’re constantly learning about ourselves, others, and everything around us. This reminds me of the days back in grammar school when I worked on those science fair projects. I remember those large tri-fold poster boards like they were yesterday. I can still picture myself staying up for several nights to perfect the layout. I think I enjoyed designing the display more than the actual science experiment, especially since it gave me creative control over how the information was presented. There was always so much content to fit - the title, purpose, question, materials, method, data, results, and conclusion - and it all had to be visually appealing and easily understood, so you just couldn’t place information on the poster board just any old kind of way.

For a while now, I’ve been reflecting on how those core concepts from the science experiments long ago unknowingly manifest in our daily lives. Just to get an idea of how it shows up, let’s look at our relationship with food. We often know that there are certain ingredients we should absolutely avoid. No really, like we should stay away from, but we don’t. You might be chuckling because this might be you. And if it is - all of the data and results have already given you the conclusion. You already understand the “if - then” logic - if I do this, then this may be the outcome, therefore, I should make this decision. However, while we don’t always know the exact outcome of every situation, we’re often pretty confident in what we think will happen based on our observations. And if we find ourselves in a familiar space, we naturally reference past experiences, identify patterns, and draw the conclusion from them. That was the whole point of those science fair projects - to think critically, research, and test the effectiveness of an experiment, all stemming from a main scientific question (e.g., “Does temperature affect battery life?”). The scientific question gives the experiment purpose and direction; it guides our research, and along with testing our hypothesis, allows us to formulate a solid conclusion.

Here’s the paradox: despite having these skills - the ability to think critically, research, and draw sound conclusions - many of us lack the fundamental understanding of why we are created. Instead of using these skills to discover and function within the real reason for our existence, we lean heavily on our own thoughts, feelings, and perceptions influenced by society that keeps us stuck in cycles. Let’s go back to our food example - you know the food that your body reacts negatively to. But because it’s so appealing, tastes so good, and you have an attachment that feels stronger than your willpower, you keep eating it, even though it’s detrimental to your well-being. And this pattern can be applied to many areas of our lives, from romantic relationships where we ignore red flags, to friendships that drains us, or financial habits that keep us in debt, or just the urge to want to do right but feel like there’s something keeping you from shifting. We have the data and we’ve seen the results, yet we choose to repeat the experiment. I’ve been told several times that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Maybe the method to the madness is hoping that there will be a change of sort in that situation - that discovering something that wasn’t in the findings before, but it changed the direction of everything and now you’re wondering what did I do that was so different this time. I believe that once you acknowledge and understand your purpose for existing and fully walk in that purpose then you’ll be able to endure the changes in circumstances in your personal life and outside of you as well as what’s to come

One of the most significant and obvious differences between a controlled science experiment and navigating life is this: in a science experiment, we test under multiple conditions to see how results change. In life, regardless of what you do or how much of it you do, the fundamental outcome remains the same - you are either on a path of life or a path of death. These two options are the ultimate outcome based on how you choose to live.

Morgan