The Beautiful Distance


I walked passed a book store a few days ago, while I was wandering aimlessly in a mall.

This book at the window of the store instantly caught my attention; Chemistry – Theory of Electron Distributions.

Instinctly, I recalled one of the Chemistry lessons about Electrons I enjoyed so much back then.

Electrons all have a defined area where they will reside in. This vicinity is known as density clouds. As electrons often exist in pairs, clouds belonging to the pair will be overlapped. The reason why electrons often exist in this manner is because of the two distinctive forces between them - attraction and repulsion.

Electrons are attractive to each other due to the presence of gravitational force on earth. They are, at the same time, repulsive to each other because there are electro-negativity forces as all electrons are negatively charged. Thus, the net value of these opposing forces, if you can imagine, illustrates the area of the overlapped clouds and hence determines the distance between both electrons.

These pairs of electrons orbit around the atoms in a sterically structured manner such that the repulsion forces are minimized. Atoms then come together to form every single matter and life on earth like you and me.

Electrons are funny stuff. The distinctive distance that exists between them can be no lesser or more than what the net charge of the two forces insist.

If you have not died of boredom and are still following – It soon occurs to me that this repulsion theory applies in life as well.

When two people come together and interact, there has to be too, a distinctive distance. No doubt that there are some things they have to share, just like how clouds of electrons have to overlap, it is however not positive to be too close, because that would make either party be repulsive towards the other.

But of course, it is not healthy to be too far away either because you might lose the attraction. In other words, you've got to watch the distance.

Same goes to the things that people want to achieve. Sometimes, it seems like the harder you try to chase after, the further it seemed to become. People often forget the repulsive forces that exist.

If people can remember to let go and allow things to work spontaneously, forces of attraction, if there is any, would resume and things might work out just fine. And if they don’t, perhaps it is just not meant to be. Anymore going after would hence be futile.

I guess, its time to let go.

So, have you checked your distances today?


p.s. Tell me how to not be fascinated with Chemistry.