FORCE OF NATURE

This is going to be another one of those free form word association posts ala “blunt force instrument”, so stick with me.  Going with full disclosure again, my unabashed nerdiness comes through on this one, and my very first encounter with the term “Force of Nature” originates from Magic the Gathering, but, in fairness to the respect of the content of this blog, that Force of Nature was pretty jacked, and incredibly powerful

Some Jon Andersen style traps there

But what is an actual force of nature?  The literal definition applies to those natural forces beyond the control of humans that tend to have cataclysmic effects, such as hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, etc.  When applied figuratively to people, it implies that those people have qualities and personalities similar to these natural disasters; existing beyond the control of outside forces.  In turn, those with these qualities tend to exhibit qualities of being unstoppable insofar as it comes to the expression and execution of these qualities.  One tends to not be a force of nature in regards to all qualities, but instead possesses a quality, of which they are a force of nature for that quality.   

Where have you observed forces of nature?  In fiction, my two favorite go-tos are Jason Vorhees of Friday the 13th fame and Frank Castle, aka The Punisher.  Jason starts out as more the figurative Force of Nature, as his original appearance is that of a human driven purely by a murderous drive for revenge against those that were responsible for the death of his mother.  However, as his story progresses, he transforms into an almost literal interruption as a re-animated corpse that seems driven for murder against teenagers and authority figures.  The original driving purpose was lost, and Jason now murders simply because that is what Jason does.  And, as a Force of Nature, he is almost entirely unstoppable in his pursuit.  He lumbers after his victims, smashes through walls, and lets nothing stop him on his quest.

F**k your boombox

Anyone familiar with me is well aware of my obsession with The Punisher, so it should be no surprise that he’s my other reference for what a Force of Nature is.  But it’s worth analyzing, as it’s easy to get caught up in the initial motivation of Frank Castle and miss out for what it is he becomes.  Yes, Frank’s original motivation was to avenge the deaths of his family, and there are many that would argue that is perhaps noble and respectable.  But then, it becomes a quest to far a war on crime, which becomes a bit morally complex depending on your views on vigilantism, but some could argue this was just an extension of the avenging of one’s family.  But eventually, 30 years have passed, Frank can’t even remember what his family looked like, the original purpose is long since expired, anyone that was in anyway related to the death of his family is dead, and Frank fights the war simply because that is what Frank does.  He is a Force of Nature for punishment.  He is under no delusion that what he does is somehow better than the acts of those he punishes: he just knows that what he does in this world, his sole purpose, is simply to punish. 

So this was a lot of rambling, nerdiness and pop culture.  Why talk about it?  Because the Force of Nature helps obviate the dread of existentialism in an otherwise absurd world.  And, of course, that sentence is yet more nerdiness, but what does it mean for you?  The Force of Nature is self-justifying.  It requires no explanation, justification, reasoning, or logic, for it simply IS.  The Force of Nature does what it does because that is what it is, and to be anything else is simply outside of its nature.  And, consequently, this means that nothing else will make it anything other than what it is, as it is immune to the effects of outside influences.

Although maybe sometimes you should still listen to outside influences..

When you make yourself a force of nature, you grant yourself the freedom of no longer needing reason to do what it is that you do.  How often have you observed the meltdown of a trainee when they hit the existential dread of training?  When it dawns on them that they’ve bit off on a lifetime of training and nutrition in order to continue achieving what it is they want to achieve?  How many early mornings do that need to have?  How many missed nights out drinking must they endure?  How many possible injuries, annoyances, missed meals, etc etc, are they in for?  But these aren’t concerns for a Force of Nature, for they simply do what they do because it is what they are.  They get up early or train late, they eat the same thing everyday, they abide by the program, stay on the diet, endure, adapt, overcome, get hurt, come back, etc etc because they are a Force of Nature, and that is what they do.

And when the question of “why” gets asked, the answer is simply “because I am”.  I long ago lost the reason of WHY I want to be big and strong.  All I know is that it’s my earliest memory.  It’s simply what I am.  I no longer carry the burden of needing a reason, and it frees me to spend my energy thinking of HOW I will pursue my ends rather than why.  Give yourself the same gift.  Lose your purpose and simply be.  In doing so, you are beholden to no one’s standards but your own.  You will overcome injuries because they do not stop a Force of Nature, you will overcome adversity, lack of opportunity, limitations, etc etc.  You will overcome your OWN internal monologue, questioning why it is you do what you do, for what purpose, for what end.  There is no reason, there is no purpose, everything is absurd, your life will end, the sun will explode, we will all perish…

…but none of that matters anyway.