Trending or cyclical

Not having posted anything for the last 4 weeks, I feel a little weird! There is a good reason for this, however, that is fodder for another post.

As often happens whenever I'm struggling with my thoughts for an extended period of time, I tend to get philosophical. One random thought that I'm currently grappling with is this: is the trajectory of life always trending, or is it cyclical? Does the good keep getting better, or are there violent swings? Looking around at my immediate circle of acquaintances, I tend to think that there is a definite pattern to individuals' trajectories in career, family life, luck etc. However, the observation period is too short (perhaps 5-6 years) to truly suggest acyclic behaviour.

When I read biographical accounts of peoples' lives, which of course is spread over at least 30-40 years, there seems to be an element of cyclical patterns. Good times are followed by bad, and vice versa. However, I'm not sure about this sample set as well, since the ones who have biographies published after them are more likely than not great successes in some aspect of their lives, and tend to dramatize the swings in their past lives.

So at the end of this little thoroughly unscientific thought experiment, we are left with no conclusions. Perhaps it boils down to belief - context and situation make any given statement true, as well as untrue. However, there is a certain harmony in believing that things go in cycles - great scientists have postulated (and proved) that all matter is made up of waves. A wave, by definition, is cyclical - it ebbs and flows. Why should life be any different?

On a totally different note, and for no particular reason, I am reminded of Aragorn in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings "A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight!"