Literature
Transforming "Whatever is
Available is Necessary" into the Orthogonal Statement "Whatever is
Necessary is Available"
- - An important life milestone -
Based on a lecture to the graduating class of 1998-University of Tennessee Space Institute
The first thing that most of us learn in life is that whatever is available is necessary. Anything that can be extracted from that nipple that is poked into our mouths is necessary for survival. Years later every time you discover that you have an extra hour, you find out that you could not have survived without it. If the road had an inch left at the boundary, you need it to keep you from going over the cliff. If you come into some extra cash, you realize that you could not have made it without the extra cash. If the teacher gives you an extra day to study for a test, you discover that you would have failed without the extra day.........and so on. I observed this over and over in all aspects of my life and it seemed that the universe was deliberately taunting me by giving me something and then taking it away. I lived by this universal law "whatever is available is necessary".
And then one day I made a great enlightening discovery, another dimension (the orthogonal statement) simply by turning the sentence around, changing my attitude towards the universe and realizing that what actually was happening was that "Whatever is necessary is available". I realized that whatever I needed began showing up. No longer was I limited by availability of things, since whatever I needed seemed to show up when I needed it. That is when I began to determine what was really necessary before I looked at what was available, because what was necessary would always show up anyway. Suddenly it looked like the universe was actually providing me with more than was necessary, before I realized that it was just an invitation to grow. I still haven't found a limit to this. I think there may be no limit. The universe will give us everything we need to grow as fast as we choose.
You may think this is crazy but if I begin working on a project to improve the quality of life for a tit mouse in Alaska, a magazine will show up in my mail box tomorrow, describing the plight of the Alaskan tit mouse or a DOD solicitation for Tit mouse research will hit the world wide web.
Recognizing the difference between needs and wants is similar to recognizing the existence as well as the difference between the two orthogonal statements. It may sound easy, but it takes much skill, thought, discipline, honesty and discussion with cohorts. It may be the hardest and most important part of a plan..
Once we learn to determine what is really necessary and recognize, accept, and use everything the universe offers us we begin to grow as, I think, the universe encourages us to do. I have a feeling that the universe is not forgiving to those who either don't recognize, accept, and use what it provides and refuse to grow, and provides negative reinforcement. This applies especially to those who still see the universe as a whatever- is-available-is-necessary proposition. There are those who make things happen, those who watch the ones who make things happen, and those who are still wondering what happened. This range of people span the two orthogonal statements, with the ones who see "whatever is necessary is available" being the ones who make things happen.
Another good example of this is phenomenon is the necessity in America for extremely high dental expenses including braces, caps, and root canals. One can find huge amounts of budget requirement just for dental expenses. This may sound crazy, but in Europe, I have many friends with missing teeth, some of them quite wealthy and highly educated. They think we Americans are really funny about our teeth all being there nice and white. We even look funny to them. They have not realized (like us) yet that missing and dark teeth are ugly and that having them replaced or capped is necessary. When did we first invent this need?
Poem
Whatever is necessary (available) is available (necessary)
by
Kris Brummett
whatever is necessary is available
shouts the voice in my head
whatever is necessary is available
my Dad always said
what is necessary is hard to say
what IS available, I ask myself
the answer is not there
whatever is necessary is available
No partner, no love, no money
shut up, I say out loud
these must not be necessary
GO AWAY DARK CLOUD
Quality friends are a necessity
I am blessed
my friends are good to me
and so is God
whatever is necessary is available
why am I alive
there can only be one answer
the truth is in the words
Friendship
available and necessary
to all that know me
whatever is necessary is available
I need a buck
whatever is necessary is available
I am broke
what the fu$$