The Third Law

I've grown to be a fan of Kitchen Nightmares. I've seen a couple of episodes of the American version, and a couple of the BBC episodes, and I like it.

When I first saw Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen, he came across as a sensationalist, yelling and cursing for ratings. There's more to it than that on Kitchen Nightmares. Oh, sure, there's lots of bleeping and throwing and screaming, but last night on the BBC episode, he explained why.

There was a guy who had put years of his life and hundreds of thousands of dollars into this dying restaurant. So much so, that he was just going through the motions, his heart and soul dried up. Chef Ramsey said that he was calling him a failure to induce a reaction, something that would awaken his fight. At first, the guy just shut down, and locked him out the restaurant. Then, he got pissed, and then focused on what needed to be done.

I think, in times of stress and frustration, it can be the same thing. We can either throw in the towel, or we can fight. And that tension can give us comfort in reminding us that we really do care, that it matters.

So, there's a tension between it being Christmas and it feeling like Christmas. Is it the weather? Is it me? If Christmas seems bland this year, but I'm really trying to make it special, what's the problem? Does trying to live my life thankful for the Child of Christmas make the day itself ordinary?

This Christmas has seemed rushed and busy, but it's because we are pouring our lives out for people with nothing else to give. Newton's Third Law states: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Jesus said something along these lines: "Give, and it will be given unto you." Makes sense.