Kaitlyn Broderick

Growing up, I have always struggled with what controls and makes the world what it is. What leads me where I’m meant to be? What caused me to meet some of my closest friends? What manifested the heartbreaks of my life? And why does it all happen? 

This may sound contradicting, but over my four years of high school, I’ve realized that’s exactly what I am, and that’s okay. As much as I value my religion, there’s more to the world than the words on thin paper. With that being said, I’m not much of a science guru. I’ve always been more of an English and history buff, but there’s one thing science has taught me. Science has taught me that I truly have no control over anything, and I’ll only find more heartbreak trying to gain control. This may seem daunting, but to me, it’s been a concept that has helped shape the person who will be walking the stage soon. 

To begin with, we have Murphy’s Law, which simply means that ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’ This concept is one many try to avoid, and it is often cursed when it comes their way. However, the law itself truly isn’t bad. If things can go wrong, they may, but you have no control over it, so in theory, why worry about it? 

Next, we have the Law of Polarity: ‘the principle that everything has two “poles”: good and evil, love and hate, attraction and disconnection.’ The law is similar to Yin & Yang; all good things must come with bad and vice versa. The beauty of it is that it gives us balance. With heartbreak comes new love; with change comes discovery; with sadness comes happiness; you’ll always find the sunny side of life regardless of your circumstances. 

Following that is the Law of Oneness, which is ‘the concept that we are all connected.’ When my grandpa told five-year-old me, “It’s a small world,” not a single part of me believed him. A small world?? 8.1 billion people is anything but small. However, as I’ve grown up, I’ve realized that the world itself is not small, but the worlds we all subconsciously live in are. Whether we like it or not, we are all connected for better or worse. 

Equally important is the mirror mirror on the wall theory, The Law of Correspondence. The concept is that ‘patterns repeat throughout the universe, and our reality mirrors what’s happening inside us at that moment.’ As fascinating as this law is, it took me a long time to truly understand it. As much as we all just live on a big rock, what we believe and tell ourselves significantly impacts our lives. 

As important as all these laws are, the following three relate most to the ending of this chapter of my life. 

First is the law of action, which states that ‘you cannot manifest the things you want without putting your thoughts to action. Manifestation requires taking steps, or actions, toward success.’ Throughout high school, I’ve always had a weird balance of working hard but hardly working. It took a lot of missed opportunities for me to realize that my dreams won’t chase me back; nothing in life will chase you if you are not willing to give it your time and energy. All we have in this life is time and energy; what we use it for is ultimately all we have. 

Secondly, the Law of Attraction, which has always been my favorite, is the principle that ‘we attract what we put out.’ I have always thought of this law similarly to the idea that ‘what is meant for you will always find you’ and not to stress because everything is temporary. I’ve always struggled with the feeling that I need to have everything in control constantly. Ironically, without fail, every time I have let go of control and let things be, I attract what I wanted to begin with. 

Lastly, the law of rhythm is the concept that ‘everything is cyclical and change is always around the corner.’ I have always loved reading, and the words on the pages of the books around us can teach us everything about life, but so can the template. Like books, life is made of endless chapters and stories. A hard pill to swallow throughout my years of high school is the idea that nothing will last forever and life will always be endlessly changing. However, with growth, I’ve realized that’s a promise of hope. If life sucks, it won’t forever, and if life is good, enjoy it while you have it. 

Growing up, I struggled with how the world and life function and what causes it all. Life has taught me that we have no control over it. The world is a beautiful mess, but we are all a mess, and that’s okay. 

My sophomore year, I read a poem by Brian A. “Drew” Chalker, which said, ‘People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.’ When I walk the stage soon, and everyone goes in different directions and life changes, I won’t try to gain control. Instead, I’ll be assured that this is all the end of the beginning, and my life is just about to start.