Round, But Not Bound: How Humans Resist the Forces That Try to Keep Us Still.

 As I continued to read my favorite book at the moment, when I reached chapter Eight, the urge of sharing this with every one couldn't let me continue without saying this. In Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Chapter 8 titled “On Being Round”  explains something deceptively simple. It explains that roundness is nature’s response to gravity’s pull. When enough mass gathers in space, gravity acts evenly in all directions, forming planets, stars, and moons into spheres. This isn’t a choice. It’s a law. Left to its own devices, matter yields to the force that holds it which is gravity and becomes still. Uniform. Bound.

But humans are different

Though we're subject to natural and societal forces every day, forces that want to keep us in line, in routine, in our place, our nature isn’t to surrender to stillness. It’s to resist. To push back. To break free. Much like planets feel gravity, humans feel the pull of expectations, fear, and external limitations such as, Cultural norms that say “this is who you’re supposed to be.” Economic hardship that says “this is as far as you’ll go.” Historical inequality that whispers “you don’t belong in this space.” Yet despite all this, history is full of examples of people who didn’t just conform to the “roundness” of their circumstances, they resisted.

Some of these key figures include,

Nelson Mandela resisted apartheid, even after 27 years in prison. Instead of remaining trapped in the orbit of hatred and revenge, he broke free and reshaped South Africa's destiny. Marie Curie refused to accept the limitations placed on women in science. She resisted the societal gravity that said “no,” and became the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. The Wright brothers lived in a time when gravity said, “humans don’t fly.” They studied it, respected it  and still broke free by inventing powered flight. These individuals weren’t superhuman. They were simply unwilling to be shaped by forces alone. They chose to reshape the universe around them.

Harnessing the Forces Instead of Fighting Them

But not all resistance means fighting. Sometimes, we win by understanding a force and using it to move forward. Just like engineers and physicists do with gravity, tension, and pressure.

Hydropower uses gravity’s pull to turn water into energy. We didn’t fight gravity, we turned it into light, heat, motion and many other forms.

Satellites stay in orbit because of gravity, not in spite of it. We’ve learned how to use the same force that keeps us grounded to send messages across the globe.

Social movements have begun harnessing the internet, once a tool for entertainment  to mobilize resistance, educate the masses, and hold systems accountable.

So sometimes fighting isn't just the right call for one chasing and efficient lifestyle, sometimes flowing with the tide is the only right call. But the key that causes all the difference,  that's knowing when to flow and when to be viscous.

🌟 The Takeaway: Be Round, but Don’t Be Bound

Neil deGrasse Tyson teaches us that roundness is the universe’s default when nothing resists. But we humans aren’t passive masses, we are agents of change. Resistance is in our DNA. Whether through breaking free or harnessing the very forces that bind us, we move. We fight. We evolve.

So when you feel stuck, when life seems to be pulling equally in all directions trying to make you conform, remember this:

You may be shaped by forces, but you are not defined by them.

In the great cosmos, being human means being in motion, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. That is our revolution. That is our legacy. Don't curl up and claim it's all over now,! Rather use all that's left in you to keep fighting and harnessing this life as much as you can, eventually smooth sailing ⛵️ is somewhere waiting for you. Be blessed.

You can get a copy of Astrophysics for people in a hurry by Neil here.

Isaiah 43: 18-19