February 5, 2021
Is inertia good or bad? The answer is YES, it is. Not the answer you were expecting? Well, it’s not as simple as you think!
When you finish reading this, you’ll know why!
Is Inertia Good Or Bad?
Inertia. Not a word that comes up in everyday language. In fact, when people start talking like that, we usually back away, take an imaginary phone call, or find a new conversation partner.
If you haven’t said “inertia” since high-school science class, you may be one of those back-away people. After all, once we’ve finished that final exam, we don’t have to talk like that anymore, right?
Let’s don’t be quick to judge inertia.
What’s The Clear Definition?
Good question. (Thanks for asking!)
Real quick, look at three different terms, and their definitions:
Inertia:
The resistance of any physical object to any change in its velocity. (Wikipedia)
Inert:
- Lacking the power to move,
- very slow to move or act,
- or deficient in active properties. (Merriam Webster)
Still here? One more:
The Law of Inertia:
An object will remain at rest or remain in motion, unless it is acted upon by another force. (Wikipedia)
So That’s Inertia!
Is Inertia Good Or Bad?
And how do you know?
Is it as simple as rabbits and turtles? Fast and slow? Working and resting? Maybe it is.
Or maybe it’s about something more logical. About whether the object is supposed to be at rest or in motion. Isn’t that the question?
After all, airplanes and bridges serve different purposes. One should move, and the other shouldn’t.
A chili dog should be inert. But if it isn’t, a Rolaids should be active.
I could do that all day, pair those opposites. But you know me, and you know where I’m headed. Not to rabbits, bridges, and chili dogs.
It’s about us, and our rest and motion. It’s not about our chemical structure, but about our hearts, motives, intentions, and missions. Not even about sleeping or being awake, or about work and retirement.
About the whole thing. The final story of your life on earth. What does that story look like?
Which brings us to the point where we put inertia where it belongs.
Is Inertia Good or Bad? Where does it belong?
The answer:
Inertia is an explanation of facts. It’s not “good” or “bad” because it’s neutral. It’s simply an observation and a statement of fact.
The reason we recognize it is this: It assesses the state of something.
Uh-oh. Assess.
This is a threat.
For people, who generally have a tendency to seek comfort, we don’t want to be assessed.
👉 You’re still here, right? Hang on. Take a little “word journey”…
Assessment brings truth into our situation, and declares our state. We usually don’t want to be assessed. We don’t want to be disrupted, and we don’t want to be aware.
Disruption is not a word we welcome. It sounds like something bad, although the surprising truth is that it’s also neutral. Disruption is the point of change.
And all that just now was a progression:
- from comfort
- to assessment
- to disruption
- to awareness
- to action
- to momentum.
👉 Whew. Take a breath. We’re back to “inertia.”
Who Judges Inertia?
Who can assess your life for inertia, and determine if it’s good or bad?
Probably you. But maybe you need some help.
You need something just to keep you out of the weeds, right?
What if you had 10 warning signs of complacency, and 12 indicators that momentum was present?
From Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, here are some other helpful words:
Synonyms for inert: dead, dormant, fallow, free, idle, inactive, inoperative, latent, off, unused, vacant.
Antonyms for inert: active, alive, busy, employed, functioning, going, living, on, operating, operative, running, working.
CHECKPOINTS TO ASSESS
How would you describe yourself?
Are you “an object at rest“?
Could that be a good thing? What if you feel good about your power to observe or meditate? That your peace is a helpful thing? Or suppose someone feels nothing but complacency with absent motivation?
Or are you “an object in motion“?
Is this what we respect? Do you feel like you have adequate momentum in your life? That you are responsive and active? Or what if you have too much of that? Is there a frantic pace you can’t seem to stop?
Glancing back: Velocity has to do with rate and speed. Inertia has to do with the resistance to changing what is already in place.
Reflection Is Healthy
If we weren’t stopping frequently to check things, we might be off course.
Reflection is a healthy thing. It may reveal a quality you are happy with. It may reveal areas that need to be changed.
It should always be done with the goal of improvement, not the weight of punishment.
(By the way, Thanks for always letting me share my checkpoints with you. I rarely share the details of my struggles; and I wouldn’t ask you to, either. I will make a small confession for you… “neeeigh…”)
Inertia In The Lives of People
My personal assessment: I do not often suffer from being inert. The correction I most often heard early in my life was this: “stop running.”
I can stop. But soon I’m in motion again. That sounds like a gift, and it is, but it must be controlled. Like a wild pony, I need fences, I need some doors to be wide open and others to be firmly closed. Otherwise I’m running willy-nilly straight into the wrong place.
So I’m not inert, but the inertia of my life is motion.
Sometimes, I just need to stop.
So inertia can be related to motion, like running, tumbling, hurtling. But usually when it’s said, it’s about stillness, inactivity, and absent reactions.
If inertia is a threat to your productivity, I have a really helpful topic on the WWW (wide willy-nilly web). Chuck Han talks about The Law of Inertia In Life. Honest observations, practical ideas, and all so kindly stated. This always happens, doesn’t it? Referring you to the article I wish I had written!
The Bottom Line:
If complacency is your burden, disruption will cause you to stand, and develop momentum.
If unbridled momentum is leading you to folly, disruption will cause you to slow down, and stand.
And to be sure we have not cast “standing” in a bad light, see what the Bible says about this. The chapter of Ephesians 6 is packed with instructions: Honor, obedience, compassion, strength, discipline, hope, and more. This one tiny passage (Eph 6:13-14a) is so important:
Print the Scripture if you like, Ephesians 6:10-13, a gift to you for being here today. Just click on the image.
Thanks for the visit today.
And thanks for being the rabbits and turtles and bridges and airplanes. And ponies. Sometimes we need to move, and sometimes we need to be still. And it looks like we always need to stand.
Do you struggle? Sigh. I do. Read the “struggle series” starting with Feeling Overwhelmed.
If you’d like to begin taking a tiny amount of daily time resuming Scripture Reading or Prayer, please read about that series here starting with How To Focus On Prayer. You won’t believe what can be done in a minute each day. You can even print it!
Inertia. It’s just a word. Assessing our state. 😉
Is inertia good or bad? Yes.
Let’s ask for disruption.
If we are sitting, please stand.
And if we are running, please stand.
Stand firm.
You. Just the fact you’re here means you were willing to read something, think about something.
That’s momentum!
Thank you! At GFP company is always welcome!
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-Grammye
Just a word, to women and moms and girls:
Life is hard, but it’s also good.
Are you in one of those valleys?
I thought so.
You see my footprints?
Yeah. ( 😉 Where I was running.)
And you’ll probably see them again in the next valley.
There are so many days of sunshine and glory on the hilltops.
Come here. I’ll show you.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
Don’t forget that. 😘
I’m Grammye, and I’m collecting and sharing ideas that can help you embrace the life you have.
When things are difficult, come here to refresh and relax. We’ll have coffee and talk.
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