It’s funny how the world works. We spend 14+ years in the academic system, studying for one exam after another, solving one homework after another, submitting one essay after another. Teachers fill us with information, pythagoras’ theorem, solving for “x,y, and z” and most importantly, if we try to solve questions in physics, they tell us to neglect friction.
Seriously, how many times did you see that term in your academic career, “Neglect friction”?
Yet, the first thing that you’ll learn once you enter the real world is that friction is the one thing that you cannot neglect. Detailed studies are conducted taking into account nothing but that thing that we spent half of our lives ignoring, “friction.” It’s like the school system tries to make us live in a bubble, telling us that everything is all right, life is beautiful (personally I felt that in AUS, MI is another story which I’m not planning to get into). But then you go to the real world and the bubble bursts. I clearly remember my undergrad advisor telling me that to be marketable I need to learn foreign languages, so I started teaching myself languages like Spanish until the day I entered the real world and found out that I was mislead, to find out why, read this note.
The point I’m trying to make is that you can think of the world as being made of so many different onion layers. On the inside, you’re protected in a world that permits you to have three months holiday, and gives you minimal responsibility because you only worry about schoolwork and where to hang out over the weekend, then as you grow older, the layer of the world that you see is totally different with the introduction of responsibilities and of course, “Friction”. Looking at friction in another sense, think about friendships and how they meant so much more in the inner side of the world’s onion layers [i.e. in your childhood]. Then one grows up and suddenly pure, innocent friendships are taken over by ma9ale7, social status, peer pressure to join the coolest group and of course, “Friction.”Funny how the onion analogy works well, because both ways, whether you’re on the inside of the layer or on the outside, the world will still make you cry.
So to conclude, just remember that just because they told you to neglect friction doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.And you can quote me here!
If you’ve enjoyed this post, feel free to comment and share with your friends.
Adios
Or shall I say, Allah Hafiz
Interesting analogy…i don’t think we should neglect friction for sure…despite the physics mantra at school but for sure we should be optimistic…for Allah says “ana 3ind thanna 3abdy bee”…so you should have the greatest expectations of Allah SWT and that is the epitome of optimism i think… Al7amdlillah.
As for friction, in our meetings, we do this evaluation thing where we go round the room and say one word about our feelings about the meeting and stuff…then we identify points of friction…and friction is supposed to be a good thing because it moves you forward, like traction. So you can be optimistic about friction if you step outside the onion layers and do a meta analysis of the situation…take yourself outside and look at the situation…it may help…
True about no matter where you are in the onion, tears are ever-present.
Sub7anAllah…
But yeah, our parents never lied to us…how many times have they said “the best years of our lives are uni years?” haha..
salamos!
friction…mmm