A Call for More Ball Bearings in Life

“I refuse to flip the numbers,” said one opponent. Her partner agreed. “We never touch the numbers because we always know the score.” This exchange happened at the start of my tennis match a few weeks ago. For those who don’t play, the common practice is to flip a scorecard after every odd game to keep track of the match—so no one disagrees with the final score. Believe me, at my age—and I play with some women decades older—it’s easy to lose track of the score. Reminders help. Which is why my partner and I were surprised.

My response? “I don’t get it. The scorecard is there so everyone agrees. It reduces the possibility of friction.” To which the one very focused woman replied, “If you don’t like friction, then you’re playing the wrong sport.”

Which made me laugh. Because while I love tennis, I don’t like pissing bouts about the score. Or line calls. Or anything that should be obvious. I wondered if they were playing some mental mind game with us…which must have worked because 1.) they won, 2.) I’m still thinking about it.

Those women got under my skin. Why perpetuate senseless friction when it can be easily avoided? Isn’t that wasted, misdirected, negative energy?

I just finished Walter Isaacson’s biography of the genius work and thinking of Leonardo da Vinci. Beyond being fascinated by countless lessons learned from his works and process…one observation stuck out: “What prevents perpetual motion, Leonardo realized, is the inevitable loss of momentum in a system when it rubs against reality. Friction causes energy to be lost and prevents motion from being perpetual.” His discovery of using lubrication and ball bearings to reduce friction was 300 years ahead of his time.

And as many remember from the famed 1985 movie Fletch, Chevy Chase’s character Gordon Liddy said, “Aww, come on guys, it’s so simple maybe you need a refresher course. It’s all ball bearings nowadays.”  

It’s 2019, and I wish there were less friction to allow for constant motion—and progress and peace—whether that means in relationships, business, education, politics, even down to the chronic sibling fights battled in my house. As da Vinci’s creative mind posited, with friction, energy is lost.

What gets in the way? I know some personality types thrive with drama. Maybe that’s it. Some people’s egos create insulated bubbles. Some folks build walls. Some lack the patience and compassion. Instead of being an obstacle…why not focus on using positive actions/thoughts/help, which would only energize others and continue their momentum? Wouldn’t the world be better?

Yes, sometimes friction creates an essential spark, but not all situations need conflict. Isn’t life “flipping” tough enough at times? Just like Chevy Chase’s mechanic Liddy, (novelty teeth optional), we can be pseudo-repairmen and be aware of easy ways to smooth pointless stickiness. I wish that more people would be aware of the energy erosion jam and be more mindful of adding figurative ball bearings to life. It really is “so simple.”