Alright, before I begin this little treatise on pressure I have a riddle for you. What do Simon and Garfunkel, Blaise Pascal and Alec Baldwin have in common? Hmmm. Think about that for a minute and we will get back to it.
As is my typical pattern I want to briefly discuss the ramifications of pressure first from a physical perspective and then from a spiritual one. Physically speaking we all live under pressure. It is multi-dimensioned and constantly with us. Most mechanical tools rely on various forms of pressure to function. Athletic success is directly related to pressure, and leverage. We live under atmospheric pressure (Standard Atmospheric Pressure is 760 mm of mercury.) Planes fly because of pressure variance. Our cardiovascular systems are predicated on responsive and necessary pressure. Our government and legal systems are based on competing pressures. Musical instruments rely on pressure to produce sound. And we hear because of pressure on our eardrums. I could go on and on. In the disaster restoration world most water losses are because of the failure to manage water pressure. When that failure occurs we have to deal with it. Simon and Garfunkel sang about having a bridge over troubled water. (And you thought I was referring to the similar wild hair coiffures of Garfunkel and Pascal. Ha.) While you are reading this your plumbing system is hopefully handling the water pressure in it. Since the typical water pressure into a home is around 50-60 psi (pounds per square inch) your pipes, gaskets, valves and hoses have a constant job to manage that pressure. It was Blaise Pascal who scientifically introduced the concept of force. Pressure times area equals measurable force. In fact, the international standard measurement of pressure is based on a formula of prescribed force known as a Pascal, or PA. One PA is equivalent to the force of a dollar bill lying on a table. Hallelujah! With our current economic crisis our tables are safe. When you open a valve such as a faucet the water pressure drops as the speed of the water increases. This is known as the Bernoulli Principle. It does not usually concern any of us at all until the pressure drops and the speed increases through a new opening, unintended. Water moves from an area of greater pressure to an area of lesser pressure. Our company helps people deal with the effects of this failure. Did you know that a 1/4″ water supply line to an ice maker, under normal pressure, can flow 1/2 to 1 gallon of water a minute? That’s 700 to 1,400 gallons per 24 hours. A 3/8″ water supply line to a toilet, under normal pressure, can flow 2 to 3 gallons of water a minute. That is 3,000 to 4,000 gallons per 24 hour period. That’s like having an above ground pool, 12 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep, emptying into your home. A 5/8″ water supply line to a washing machine can flow 10 to 12 gallons per minute. That’s 14,000 to 17,000 gallons per 24 hour period. That’s like the size of a swimming pool 18 feet in diameter and 4 feet deep flowing into your home. Oh my. Trust me, a box fan and a shop vac cannot do the trick. The effects of all that water can be catastrophic. It is not the pressure that is the problem. It is the failure to deal with it appropriately. Which leads me to the spiritual application.
Alec Baldwin is a prime example of someone who appears to not be able to handle pressure properly. He blows up more times than a New Year’s celebration. (Methinks he has blown a few gaskets. Bless his heart!) We all have pressure. We have bills to pay, responsibilities to fulfill, time related pressures, relationship pressures, identity pressures. Our whole physiologic orientation is homeostasis, the pursuit of balance from all these competing pressures. And because we are complex in the sense that we are body, soul and spirit our whole life is interwoven in trying to maintain that balance. When we are affected in one area it typically manifests itself in other areas. As someone who has studied and counseled for 35 years I am keenly aware of how difficult it is to maintain balance from all the pressures of life. Not impossible, just difficult. You have to work at it. (I will deal with this more in subsequent teachings.) There are events and situations in life that challenge our ability to maintain the pressure properly. The results of those kinds of events and thinking can have a serious effect on us.
Personal failure, sin, heartbreak, illness, hunger, personal loss, abuse and unmet needs, for example, set us up for real problems. This is what I do and write about; how to achieve a balance from all the pressures and problems of life and to live a life of peace. It is possible. Peace is not the absence of pressure, but the ability to respond to it properly without hurting yourself or others. When the pressure is too much and a failure occurs people start looking for answers and how to clean up the mess. There is ALWAYS a reason why people do what they do. The sensible first step in dealing with any issue is admitting it is there. You have to inspect your pipes, hoses, gaskets and valves. Then discovery is made of not only what happened, but why, what was affected and what is the course of action to remedy the situation. One must be able to see the big picture which, I believe, means trusting in a big God. Just like a homeowner who has a flood needs to rely on an expert. You need to rely on the One who created you and knows all about your pressures and spiritual/emotional plumbing. He loves you and knows what is best for you.
Now, back to Simon and Garfunkel, Blaise Pascal and Alec Baldwin, and what they have in common. Not much really. Simon and Garfunkel sang about how to respond to bad stuff—build a bridge over it and be there for others. Not bad. Poor Alec Baldwin usually has a spiritual/emotional plumbing failure from his pressures in public. He just can’t seem to handle them and others are affected and he becomes an illustration. Blaise Pascal recognized pressure and force and studied it, physically and spiritually. He was a religious man who formulated a syllogism that became a challenge to his philosophic, and skeptical, friends. It is known as Pascal’s Wager. And it goes something like this. There are only two possibilities of God; either He exists or He does not exist. And, there are also two opposing behavioral world views; living a life of morality (balance) or living a life of excess (imbalance). His conclusion was that, even if there was no God, the pursuit of moral living produces a better life than the pursuit of excess or narcissism. The best choice, I believe, is to not only know the one true and living God, but to obey and follow Him. My intent in these blogs is to present to you a way to handle and overcome the pressures that would seem to destroy you through the One that loves and knows you best. He is a good God and help is on the way! Stayed tuned for more.
