Expectations

Something I considered a few days ago, friends, is the nature of expectation. I cannot fully remember what made me ponder such a subject, but I think it had to do with marriage. I suppose I might have said to myself, "Usually when one expects of what nature they wish their marriage partner to be, those hopes do not materialize. As far as I've experienced, a marriage partner is generally someone somewhat unexpected".

This is true though for many things, the most famous of which being the advent of "משיח"; there is a tradition that he will come when he is least expected (or at least that's what I was told by my third grade Rebbe). Yet the same essentially goes for anything that's expected; they don't happen until they become unexpected.

I am currently in the process of reviewing the episodes of "Star Trek" that I first watched when I was very young (don't ask why I decided to take upon myself such a task). In one of the "TNG" episodes the android character (Data) wished to study the human phenomena of expectancy by testing an aphorism that states "A watched pot never boils" (meaning that water only boils when one has taken his attention off of it). According to Data's study the kettle always boiled at the same expected time (since he did not have individual perception)...nevertheless the phrase is for the most part true for people.

I think the reason for this phenomenon is very simple: When one eagerly expects something, their perception of time becomes slower. If so, in their perception it takes longer than planned to reach the appropriate time for something to occur. Because of the artificially elongated time one somewhat looses hope by the time the event actually occurs. ...extremely bogus ideas I have, I know, but I felt like recording it here.