Addicted to Newton’s Third Law

By Rajesh Setty on Mon 21 Feb 2005, 10:49 PM – 2 Comments

Most of us remember Newton’s Third Law in Physics – “Action and reaction are equal and opposite”.

I get a feeling that we use this law more often than required. I have

been trapped so many times and I see many people around me getting

trapped into this. Let me explain. There is an insatiable desire for

instant gratification at work and in life. Most of us want instant

results. Turn on the TV and you will see weight loss programs promising

to slash off a few pounds in days or over a weekend.

Many of us have tried to apply this at work and probably over extended

this law. While we want be revolutionary, in life and in work, things

mostly happen in an evolutionary fashion. It takes nine months for a

baby to gestate and sometimes a few years for a tree to grow. Things

take time and we need an extra dose of patience to wait for things to

happen (in this fast paced world).

Many times, Newton’s third law still applies but with a time lag.

Take for example – public speaking. We can start learning this art and

it would take years to master. If we take a public speaking class and

expect miracles to happen on the next day, it would seem a bit odd.

The cure for addiction to Newton’s third law:

a) Have a long term view and

b) Increase our patience level

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