Equivalent Trade

"Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It can only be converted from one form to another." This quote would definitely sound familiar to anyone who has dabbled in physics before or at the very least, even in basic science. It can also be decreed as a law of nature, a system of how the world works as it quietly rotates around its giant imaginary axis everyday...

From the world of science, it is, but a scientific theory that cannot be denied. Yet, it doubles its function as the core process of Life itself. Between the scientific world and the magical world lies a deep, intertwined relationship. (Magical does not necessarily refer to magic as we know today, my impression of magic would be better known as happenings that occur in Life that do not have a logical answer or a certain formula to fully explain it. Just thought I would clear that up.. ^.^) Since nothing can be created nor destroyed, a desire for something has to stem out from something else. When a person wants something, he/she has to present something of equal value. In simpler terms, this is known as equivalent trade.

It is part of a rather cruel process in how we live. No one can gain something without sacrificing something else. Take the air that we breathe, the oxygen which we extract from it, it isn't created from thin air (no pun intended.. =P) the oxygen results as a product of a food-making process in plants, which they, in turn create it from other by-products... and the chain goes on. If we are on our way to create a graduate degree for ourselves, we would have sacrificed our time, energy, sleep... etc. To achieve something we desire, we have to sacrifice another of equal value.

Sacrifice.... is a very powerful word indeed. It is one of those few words that is capable of making us stop and think. It makes us ponder if we want to even cross that word, in doing so, we may not be able to press that rewind button so obscurely placed in a little dark corner.

Yet, such a cruel process has evolved to become a necessity. It somehow teaches us to cherish that something which we have sacrificed something for. Since we have lost something in return for it, this new something has become the equal value which we have to keep. If a world does not require sacrifices, I have a feeling the human race would be just a bunch of decadent creatures already where we can have anything in a spur of a moment. Before we desire something, we would not ask the question "why do we want it?" but a more irresponsible question of "why not just have it?"

"Is there anything that is somehow capable of bypassing this system...?" Honestly, I was stumped by this question. Wouldn't it be playing God? And we all know playing God always gets us burned, as Man was never created to play God... Is there even a small thing we can get without any sacrifice? Sigh... I'll just leave with that. My thoughts can only think this much. =P

Actually, this act of equivalent trade isn't all that bad. 'Cos in a way, it has melded so well into our lives, we don't really notice it. What we don't know, can't hurt us. Oh well, my bad.