Process vs. Event: Chapter 1

Greetings! For years I have had thoughts of writing a book. I actually have started several but seem to run out of steam before making much headway. A friend suggested that I try blogging just to get in the habit of writing, plus to get feedback. The following is a first draft of Chapter 1 of one of my many attempts. The working title for the book is "Process vs. Event." I would greatly appreciate you taking time to read it. And then if you will, e-mail some of your thoughts to ibworshipin@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

                    “No man is an island,

                     Entire of itself.”

                  John Donne

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That question is often posed for the purpose of launching one into deep thought, eventually losing oneself in the abyss of mystery as to the origin of things. I did not have to think long before answering. It had to be the chicken.

First of all I will tell you that I am a Christian. As such I look to the Bible for answers to life’s questions. There it tells me that God created the animals, including chickens. He did not make eggs!

         However, I can answer this question without believing in creation. Think about it. An egg without a chicken to keep it warm until it hatches is only good for one thing; an omelet! A chicken had to come first in order for the process to work. Laying an egg is just an event. Hatching a chick is a process. Hence, the chicken had to come first.

Just as an egg is of no use without the chicken, an event is relatively useless without the process. The more important question to ask is “Which comes first, the process or the event?”

Our lives are filled with events, and those moments are vital to our existence. Birth, for instance is an event. We celebrate our birthday. We count our age from that day forward. Our death is an event. We mark our tombstone with both of these dates. It’s the bookends of our experience on earth. These are certainly “events,” but upon closer inspection we see that even these “events” are the result of a “process.”

Our birth event was the direct result of another event: conception, when the sperm joined with the egg. The event of conception actually started a process: the creation of an embryo. It continued to grow until you were fully formed in your mother’s womb. Then another process brought about your birth event; it’s called labor. Labor is also a process, ending with the birth of a child.

So you see, even the events of our life are for the most part the result of processes. Birth and death are two events in our life, but we really have no direct control over either of these. Everything in between these two “bookends” will determine our life experience. That is where the remainder of this book will focus. Do you live for the process or the event? The choice is yours for the most part. Choose wisely!