Category Archives: Action

Action Without Traction

Action

Action Without Traction begins with doubt. Not the useful kind of doubt that questions truth or accuracy, but the kind that latches onto what lies beyond our control—doubting others’ abilities, doubting that plans will unfold, doubting ourselves. When these doubts fuse with sparks from the world around us, they generate motion without progress. Like a car stuck in the mud, pressing harder only spins the wheels, splattering negativity outward but never moving forward.

In the fractal universe, doubt is not a discrete problem to be solved but an inner structure that emerges. Sparks flow continuously—news, impressions, memories, expectations—and when they fuse with doubt, clouds of negativity form in the atmosphere of the mind. This is not a pathology but a weather system: a recursive cycle of Fusion, Action, and Fission that can leave us exhausted without direction.

Is there a dark cloud over your head? Feeling down? Doubt is counterproductive by nature. It gets us nowhere, but it causes us to lean towards the negative as we look in the direction of failure.

“You should never, never doubt something that no one is sure of.”― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

It’s natural to make predictions about things we can’t control, but doubt can be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Effective action begins with a change in terrain. A car stuck in mud does not escape by spinning faster—it finds traction when the driver pauses, eases off the pedal, and lets the earth firm beneath the tires. Accept the unknowable and doubt will evaporate.

Take a moment to reflect:

  • What have I been doubting lately?
  • Am I pressing harder on the gas pedal of rumination, or am I allowing the ground beneath me to settle?
  • How would it feel to replace doubt with neutrality or faith in the moment?
  • How might my actions change if I accept the unknowable and redirect my energy to the things I can effectively do?

When we stop feeding doubt with energy, the ground of being steadies. Neutrality or faith becomes the solid road, and forward motion resumes—not frantic, not forced, but aligned with the flow of sparks that now carry us toward clarity.

Life: Undefined

Action, Being

Childhood memories can become very hazy over time. Luckily, I kept a diary starting when I was about nine years old. The small red book has a strap and a lock for privacy, but luckily, I still have the key. Let’s open it up and see what life was like for me in the mid-1970’s:

 “Dear diary, I woke up, ate breakfast, ate lunch, ate dinner, then went to bed.” “School day.” “Ate lunch, ate dinner, then went to bed…”

Hmm. My entire future was being shaped, and all I wrote about was generic activities? Why?

My hazy memories are better than nothing, I suppose. I recall those in-between times when I was just playing with friends on the school playground, or milling around my back yard looking at things, or watching TV in the living room. I think I would have written about them, but it was too hard to put into words and didn’t seem significant.

Waking up, going to bed, eating and going to school were the punctuation of my day: easy to identify, easy to say. But like a sentence, punctuation alone says nothing.

Milestones in life are punctuation too. We identify with them and describe ourselves by listing them, but the picture they paint doesn’t do us justice. The in-between times, the ordinary and undefined experiences, are the true story of our lives. So why not bring them forward and highlight them?

We face the same challenge I faced as a young diarist: how can daily experiences be put into words, and what part of it even matters?

In the fractal universe framework, milestones and events are analogous to Action. We can say “I did that, that was me.” We identify with it, and that is a valid thing to do. We can communicate our identity efficiently and identify others as well.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are infinitely more. Undefined life isn’t made for documentation. It is not fixed, it is functional. It is the deeper, more authentic you. You are experiencing it right now.

Take a moment to pause and look beyond the milestones you usually list when describing your life.

•    What ordinary, undefined experiences have quietly shaped who you are?

•    Where do you feel the Stillpoint of balance, the Mirror Frontier of connection, or the subtle Fusion of new insights in your daily rhythm?

•    How might your story change if you gave as much weight to these in‑between moments as you do to the milestones?

It will always be more natural to define our lives by milestones and activities, especially when communicating with others. Undefined life remains there between the lines, adding the truth and richness of who you really are.

Doing Good: A Fractal Focus on Action

Action, Doing

In the Fractal Universe framework, Action is not random, it is the natural expression of Fusion. Sparks converge within the Sparksphere, forming a new coherence. That coherence seeks expression, and when it moves outward, it becomes Action. The ripples of that Action, its Fission, extend into the world, touching everything in its path.

But if I want my Action to be truly beneficial, to myself and my surroundings, it must begin with the Sparks that transmit through my Mirror Frontier. What do I notice? What reflects back to me as needing care, attention, or alignment?

Today, I turned off all electronic sights and sounds. I quieted the incoming signals from the Human Atmosphere and tuned into my immediate physical space. I asked: What can benefit from my Action right now?

First, I noticed my body. I gave it movement and breath through exercise.

Then I looked outside. My garden called to me; I tended the flowers and swept the porch.

Next, I turned inward to my home. I saw small messes, neglected corners, and I addressed them one by one.

Each of these Actions emerged from Sparks close to my Mirror Frontier. They were not abstract or distant; they were tangible, immediate, and reciprocal. I trust that the Fission from these Actions will reflect back in positive ways, both for me and for others.

This is a different kind of “Doing Good.” It’s not driven by obligation or external validation. It’s a matter of fractal scale. If I look far out into the Human Atmosphere, I can see social, environmental, and economic issues that also need attention. These are valid Sparks, but they are distant, and their integration requires a different kind of Fusion. The Fission from this kind of Action can have a wide range of effects: some beneficial, some unintended. The situations are so complex that even a sincere intent to do good can sometimes amplify harm. The scale, entanglement, and abstraction make it difficult to trace coherence.

In contrast, Action at the personal scale may seem small or insignificant. But surprisingly, it can generate profound and positive ripples within the self, the immediate environment, and the relational field. These ripples are more likely to reflect back as coherence, because the Sparks are close to the Mirror Frontier and the Fusion is intimate, embodied, and attuned.

Doing good doesn’t always require reaching far. Sometimes, the most powerful contribution begins with sweeping the porch, tending the garden, or listening to the body. These Actions are not just symbolic, they are fractal. They encode the same principles of care, alignment, and responsiveness that scale outward into the Human Atmosphere.

Today, I chose the near field. I chose coherence at the scale of my own life. And in doing so, I believe I’ve contributed to the larger pattern, not by reaching outward, but by radiating from within.

The Lighthouse as a Metaphor for Action

Action, Doing

When we think of a lighthouse, we think of the light. It’s the visible part of Doing, the outward signal of inner alignment. This is Action, the moment of turning on the light.

Action is preceded by Fusion: the keeper inside, integrating purpose and capacity.
Action is followed by Fission: the light traveling outward, reaching those who need it.

The lighthouse doesn’t chase ships. It doesn’t measure its worth by how many see the beam. It simply shines, because that is its nature. It is integrity in Action.

Apply & Observe

  • What light do you turn on, even when no one is watching?
  • Where do you feel the Fusion between your purpose and your capacity?