November 19, 2021

A few weeks ago, in my Math 116 class, I was asked to draw a graph given a list of characteristics and points. As I took all these factors into account to create the graph, I started to think about how our lives resemble the ups and downs of the graphs we study in math.

The relationship between two lines are similar to relationships in our own lives. Intersecting lines begin far apart and over time, grow closer to each other. They cross paths, then continue on in their separate ways. Sometimes in life, we encounter people who we grow close to but drift away from over time. Growing apart from someone isn’t always a bad thing. People change and sometimes these relationships no longer serve the purpose they once did--that doesn’t mean they aren’t important to you anymore. As people and priorities change, so do relationships. This can be a hard pill to swallow, but is also an important part in the progression of life. 

Sometimes a graph has a discontinuity - breaks, holes, jumps - but it almost always continues after. It might pick right back up or start again in a different direction, but it continues, nevertheless. In life, we encounter bumps in the road, some big, some small. After these discontinuities, we always keep on going, no matter how impossible it may seem.

Graphs aren’t always linear, just like progress. A non-linear graph may seem complicated and more difficult to figure out, but all this means is that it takes a little more effort to understand it. When life falls into the negative direction, it will always come back up to the positives. In our life, we will cross the threshold of positive and negative countless times, but your line is never ending and will rise back up again. Just as you use points on a graph to find its equation, finding your own equation or meaning can be found through the people around you in your life. Both good and bad relationships, the ones that come and go-all of these are important in defining the equation of your life. 

As cliché as this all may sound, I’ve found that every once in a while, a cheesy metaphor offers a new perspective when life feels stagnant. As the semester progresses and the winter approaches, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s truly important. Whenever you feel in a rut, think of the graph of your life to center yourself again. (Who said you wouldn’t use math in real life?)