The Push Button

Hello All:

We live in an interesting world of push buttons. We are so accustomed to pressing buttons or touching icons to open some function or connect us with a location on our PC/smart device or connect to the Internet. 

Flashlights are recognized as the electronic device that introduced the world to the push button. But what about mechanical levers?  How about triggers for guns? How about bells on a desk that you push a button to make it go ding? What about door bells? And how long have light switches been in existence? These are all examples to prove that the concept has been around for centuries.

 The push button, switch or lever is a fascinating human concept that makes possible a command to activate, open or connect with something.

The Push Button

The push-button, a marvel of engineering and ingenuity! Its roots can be traced back to the dawn of civilization, when our ancestors first harnessed the power of levers and simple machines.

The Egyptians employed basic locking mechanisms in their temples and tombs around 4000 BCE. The Greeks and Romans later refined these concepts, incorporating buttons and switches into their architecture and machinery, such as water clocks and siege engines.

It's as if the push button represents an action in suspended animation. "Press this if you want this or that to happen." I wonder if God has such concept, to suspend a condition until called upon; divine mechanics and cosmic controls as-if we are attempting to find echoes of human ingenuity in the heavens themselves. It stands to reason that since God made humans in his image, wouldn't we invent something like a push button to cause a desired action to occur?

But since God is an entity that exists in all places and all times at once, perhaps God has no need for a device that maintains a condition in a state of suspended animation. God even exists in the alternate universes where someone may have made a choice different from where we are now. How does a push button work in that sort of existence? There is no distinction between the 'active' state and the 'suspending' state. Every possibility, every choice made or not made, every reality branching out from the tiniest divergence - it is all known, all experienced simultaneously by God

So the push button is strictly a human invention.

But what about doors? It's been said that God has closed doors that we had no idea needed to be closed and opened up other doors that we have no idea will need to be opened. So there is some switching that takes place in the spiritual world. Doors and push-buttons, both serving as thresholds and gateways, yet distinct in their nature and operation. Doors, much like the portals spoken of in religious texts, represent transitions; passages from one state or location to another. They embody the notion of choices, of paths diverged, echoing the poetic imagery of divine intervention closing and opening avenues in our lives.

So would it be safe to conclude that God has use for the concept of doors in the spiritual world?

In the context of theological interpretations, yes, it is common to ascribe significance to doors as metaphors for life's crossroads and divine guidance.

Then we have roads. Roads expand upon the theme of transition and choice presented by doors. While doors offer a single, clear threshold, roads are lengthy pathways with numerous possibilities; junctions, detours, and changes of heart along the journey. You can even turn back if you change your mind, or join up with a different road for a change of destination.  A road is similar to a door in that it takes you to another place. Yet, unlike the door, that place requires a journey on that road. The door mirrors the winding, non-linear trajectory of mortal lives and the ongoing dialogue with providence that shapes our destinies.

God surely has use for roads in the spiritual world as they represent the human journey where we walk out our faith, forge our characters, and discover our purposes. Roads are our unfolding destiny, and the intricate dance of free will and providence.

Then we get to walls and fences which yield no way to cross or enter. They are the ominous reminders of life's limitations and the inevitable boundaries we cannot transgress. They signify the cessation of choice and the finality of certain paths. Barriers such as these can even serve as protection and security, shielding the vulnerable or safeguarding sacred spaces. 

Surely God has use of walls and fences in the spiritual realm. Not anyone can just enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And there are limitations imposed on humans.

And so I think we've identified four powerful archetypes here: buttons, doors, roads, and walls. Each encapsulating distinct aspects of human experience and aspiration: suspension of fate, transition, journey, and limitation.