“The Tipping Point” is a term coined by Malcolm Gladwell that generally refers to an event where things really start to take on a life of its own. What if the tipping point isn’t an event, but a person? What if you were the tipping point?

Pitfalls of Only Thinking About Yourself

It seems that the common thought about the tipping point is the point where things start going well for you. Keep on working hard and one day you’ll pass the tipping point. Then you can just relax and collect your paychecks. The difficulty with this view is no one knows before hand when the tipping point will occur. It may be tomorrow or it is possible that it never comes. How long do you endure before you believe it to be hopeless?

Morpheus was the Tipping Point

I am a fan of the Matrix. Maybe I should move on, but I still think it’s cool. Something I appreciate about the movie is the role of Morpheus. He is not the One, but he has hope that he will find the One. Morpheus was the tipping point.

Why is Morpheus so special? He hoped, he believed, he sought, and he found. He was looking for something that was beyond himself, giving him purpose in life. Gretchen Rubin recently posted a quote by Thomas Merton, which states:

“Finally I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am. That I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself, and if I accept myself fully in the right way, I will already have surpassed myself.”

In the same way Merton is looking to be what he already is, Morpheus does not look to change himself, but to act as himself to create change. In doing so, he sets forth the actions that end in the discovery of the One. Even if Morpheus does not discover the One himself, his actions (inspiring his crew and allowing Neo to believe) lead to the emergence of the One. He is the tipping point.

Are You the Tipping Point?

How exciting would life be if we looked beyond our own life to see the potential of our actions. Though we may come and go, our actions have a profound impact on what will become. What if doing a small thing to help out your friends sets forth the actions for them to achieve their dreams? We do not know where the tipping point is beforehand. What if you are the tipping point?

I try things because I don’t know what will happen. It is exciting to see what will become.