Big Fig Newton’s Law

I’m still recovering from the Keystone Conference. I wrote about it last week, but what I wrote doesn’t do it justice. Read that column HERE.

In any case, something came to mind while I was there and it’s been haunting the dark areas of my empty head since.

Consequences.

Let’s do a little science, shall we?

Sir Isaac Newton wrote three laws. They are well known, but I’ll focus on the one for now.

In any case, they are:

I. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

That means that a person on a couch won’t move unless someone lights a fire under his butt.

II. The relationship between an object’s mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied force F is F = ma. Acceleration and force are vectors (as indicated by their symbols being displayed in slant bold font); in this law the direction of the force vector is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector.

Foundation of physics. So. I weigh 200 pounds (90.71 KG). I’m going 60 (96.5 KM/hr) miles an hour when I hit the deer. That means a force of 2433 Newtons.

That means deer hamburger. The Force was not with him.

III. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Here we have what I’m discussing. When someone does something, something WILL happen. I kiss someone; they are kissing back with equal force. Well, if they’re doing it right.

But it applies to more than physics.

Still with me?

When I do something, there are Consequences. For example, I was driving drunk and was caught. There were consequences.

When my college girlfriend cheated on me after a drunken party, there were consequences.

When those people voted for Bush in 2000, there were consequences.

The bitch about consequences is that most people don’t think about them when they do something. I never thought I’d be arrested. My girlfriend never thought about the guilt and the end of the relationship (or the STD). Bush voters never imagined 250,000 people dead for no reason but profit, or our economy being destroyed by his policies.

There are ALWAYS consequences.

I am an opinionated person. My mutant power is shooting off my mouth. Usually, I’m backed with facts, but not always. In my drab life, my argument style is “go for the throat — maximum damage.” And there are always consequences. I can count my drab side Friends on my fingers and have leftovers.

I am on hormones. Soon there may be physical changes. Noticeable ones. And there will be consequences. I may lose jobs. I may be living on the street. There will be questions.

Someday I will live as a woman. There will be consequences. Lost relationships. Closed doors.

I’ve been discovering myself for four and half years this time around. I’ve met some many wonderful people. And most have a good idea of who they are and where they are going. Most understand the stakes of this “game.” And so many have strength that I can only begin to comprehend.

But some don’t.

Make no mistake — there is no cure for us. Unless we transition, this haunts us all the days of our lives. And it can be fatal.

Ignore the pain, and there are Consequences.

Having thrashed the departed equine thoroughly, how do we cope with these consequences? Do we plan for them? Can we foresee them?

Well, these days we have the internet. We can connect with people on all parts of this journey, including our own. Thanks to places like TGForum, we now have a wealth of information . . . if we choose to use it. People who came before us (like when I was coming up in the ’70s and ’80s) were far more isolated and alone. They blazed the trails. Of course, most of them went stealth, so getting them to open up is sometimes problematic.

Yes, everyone’s circumstances are different, but by seeking out information, we can now have a good idea of what Consequences we may face.

If a person doesn’t do the research? Guess what? Consequences!

Unexpected consequences!

Consequences can be mild, or they can be genuinely horrific. If one has a plan, the issues created by consequences can be reduced or even eliminated.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Be the person you need to be without consequences?

Well, researching the data and the stories out there show quite plainly — there are Always consequences to this. (Hmm . . . see a theme yet?) Plan for them or be blindsided.

Which brings us back to Newton. He was a bright guy. His laws are interrelated. So, to avoid said Consequences (Third law), one must apply the FIRST law.

Be an Object in motion. They tend to remain in motion. A Moving Target.

If a person doesn’t plan, they are inert and unmoving. They make no progress. They remain in place. There are Consequences for remaining in place, safe as it may feel.

Life isn’t a spectator sport. Who we are isn’t exactly a Safe place to stay. Moving is hard. Change is hard. But, once started, we are hard to stop.

Newton proved this back in the 1600s.

We prove it every day.

Oh, so why did I mention Fig Newtons in the title? To stick the jingle in the heads of all readers over certain age.

*keeps moving to dodge thrown objects*

Tags: featured, Identity, opinion, Transition

Category: Transgender Body & Soul, Transgender Opinion