When I was a kid I enjoyed squeezing balloons. It always seemed to pop out somewhere else, no matter how you positioned your fingers. The part that squeezed through was noticeably thinner than the rest. It always seemed to evade the boundaries of my hands.
Now I realize that I was learning a tactile lesson in childhood that would become an abstract concept in adulthood. Whenever you put on the squeeze, it pops out somewhere else. You can apply this principle to almost anything. Take early childhood discipline. The toddler is always pushing the envelope. "If I'm not allowed to do that, then I'll do this."
It get more interesting in adult relationships.
Did you notice the freeway speed is about five miles over what the signs say? In California, it's ten. Pushing the boundaries. We all have to squeeze the balloon.
How about politics? Pass a law, and the people it affects will most likely squeeze the balloon and there will be unintended consequenses. Nixon tried price controls. That didn't last too long, and what an explosion of prices when the controls were lifted! Now we are in the middle of health care reform. No one know where that is going, but I can guarantee you that the balloon will find its way out between the fingers of reform.
So is there a life lesson in all this? Perhaps it is to not squeeze too hard. There is a law of physics involved here.
