The Third Law

Though paraphrased, Isaac Newton's Third Law essentially says "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction". I actually had a Garfield poster in my room when I was about 10 years old that said this... and Garfield was hitting a racquetball against the wall which was returning and hitting him in the head (not unlike the hilarious scene in Splash with John Candy)....

Anyway, on my way in to work today and listening to the radio, this law of physics jumped out at me during the news. The thing is, it doesn't just apply to physical matter, but life in general - and similar to the old adage "be careful what you wish for" or the lesson to be learned from the short story "The Monkey's Paw" (look them up...), we, as a society, have to realize that quite simply, the greater the reward, the greater the sacrifice - we just need to determine which motivates us more: what we're getting, or what we're giving up.

An example that often comes up during election time in British Columbia - people want greater support from the government for social programs, but they don't want to pay more taxes. Well, just once I'd like to hear a politician say "I can give you one, but not the other. You want more money in social programs, well, we're gonna have to raise taxes to do so. OR, if you want lower taxes, we need to cut some of our spending - we simply won't have the resources." Call it like it is... I'd vote for him/her, though I'd probably be one of the only ones...

So as the campaigning gears up for next month's provincial election, please, pay close attention to what's being promised. Don't forget - no matter how amazing the pledge of the candidate might seem, if they are able to deliver on it then it will come at a cost.

There are no good policies or bad policies - there are just policies. Ultimately, the definition of "good" or "bad" will come down to what matters the most to you in the end.

~Guy