Sunday, February 2, 2014

Mergers Under Pressure

If you could write your own story, predetermine your life, what would it be? What would you be: teacher, astronaut, philanthropist, pilot, surgeon, author or artist? Would your story be without controversy or drama, pain free, fearless and inspiring - void of anything unsettling - perfect on every level and in every way?

The thing about stories is everyone has one. While we are living our stories, others are living theirs. We cannot control anybody else - what, why or how they feel or what they do. It makes sense then that regardless if we had a genie ready to grant us any wish, our wish would not necessarily turn out the way we envisioned it. It couldn't. There is an indeterminate amount of varying factors reliant on other people's stories.

Because it is impossible for our story to exist apart from an others story, we are destined to be dependent upon others lives and actions. A hermit living deep within the hills with no neighbors for miles shares the ripple effects of unrelated events. The hermit may become sick from a crop duster flying off course or be charged by an injured animal hit by a hunter's less than perfect shot. He may find himself host to a lost camper or receiver of a balloon with a message that pierces his heart with emotion. Each episode of life interacts with our own. We live in a never ending, continuously enlarging web of connections, whether we like it or not; whether we want it or not; whether we acknowledge it or not, other people's lives evolve and involve us.


Brace Yourself
When stories merge, they create other stories. Brangelina (Brad and Angelina) are living proof! They merged and have the offspring to prove it. Closer to home, we also meet our mates, procreate and build families. Trees drop seeds and create larger forests. On every level, it's the natural progression of all living things. It's not only about procreation, though. Businesses merge and forge new affiliations. Children join together at the beginning of each new school year and build new relationships with fellow classmates. Athletes come together and form teams. Workers form unions. Mergers are ongoing.

Mergers with No Acquisitions
Stories, events, happenings, situations - good, bad, or otherwise - take place whether you sequester yourself or socialize in a big way. Since this is the case, it would make sense that we would want to have our stories merge with good stories, positive energy and people who can relate to our initiatives and visions. These other people want, hope for and expect the same of us. How can we do this and guarantee that the merger is a good one?

If there were guarantees, there would be no divorce, mistreated children, seniors or animals, no spousal abuse, no hunger and no pain. Businesses would only flourish and have positive cash flow. How can we create resplendent mergers, vital connections and live the life we know we were divinely meant to live?

Know thyself. Know what you seek. Know that every thought, word and action is going to interact with an others, consequently impacting your own life as well as theirs. There aren't acquisitions to be made. There are mutually beneficial, synchronous relationships ready to take off.

To repeat: we are destined to be dependent upon others lives and actions. Therefore, they are also dependent on our lives and actions. If every path that we cross is reflective of our own behaviors, it would make sense that the value we place on our own happiness and fulfillment needs to be placed on every other person's life. Our great stories and successes are dependent on every connection we make.

When we collide we create upheaval, when we merge we create unity. If we do end up colliding from time to time, let us hope that they are of stellar proportions, eventually merging into an even larger star.

Have a listen to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury perform Under Pressure.