Coherence

Living What We Believe

A watchmaker once showed me two gears that appeared to fit together perfectly.

Their teeth were precisely shaped, their surfaces polished, and their movements smooth when examined separately.

Yet when he placed them inside the mechanism, something went wrong.

One turned freely while the other resisted.

He adjusted their positions, checked the distances, and examined the smallest points of contact.

“The problem isn’t always in the pieces,” he explained. “Sometimes it’s in the way they work together.”

I have often thought about that distinction when considering the relationship between our beliefs and our actions.

We spend years developing an understanding of what matters.

We form opinions about honesty, independence, kindness, responsibility, and the kind of life we want to create.

These convictions gradually become part of how we describe ourselves.

Yet the way we live does not always correspond to what we believe.

We value independence but continue seeking approval.

We believe in honesty but avoid conversations that might disturb familiar relationships.