A Law, or Just a Pattern?

Laws of nature do not care whether you believe in them or not.

• Gravity works exactly the same whether you like in or not.
• Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, no matter what.

But other dynamics (let’s call them “patterns of nature”) are different: their power depends on whether we believe in them.

• “I have to fit in, in order to be liked”
• “When I make enough money, then I’ll be happy”
• “If I tell the truth, my friends won’t talk to me”
• “The only way to get more done is to work longer hours”

It’s easy to accept these beliefs as inherently true because we’ve seen many examples play out this way.  But which came first… the examples or the belief?  It’s common to form our core beliefs early in life, then spend years noticing all the examples that reinforce those beliefs.

It's useful to distinguish patterns of nature from laws of nature.  Just because it’s always gone this way doesn’t mean it has to be this way.  Our beliefs deserve scrutiny, because if challenged, they can alter our perception of what’s true and the reality of what’s possible.