I’m a Fringe fan. If you haven’t watched it, you’re really missing something. An eccentric professor, his son and a few FBI agents form the Fringe team who together investigate fringe science cases. In the 4th season there is a bridge between our universe and an alternate one that allows the Fringe team members to meet their doppelgangers (alternate universe twins) on the “other side.”
Invariably there are differences in the doppelgangers. Variations in the people they encountered in their lives as well as their environments, choices, and opportunities all play a role in forming who these team members become.
For example, in one episode a side-character in our universe is a successful university professor, but in the alternate universe he’s a serial killer. The difference? As a young boy, the university professor met a woman who taught him how to control his thoughts and emotions. In the alternate universe, the woman never entered his life.
In season 4, episode 17 (“Everything in Its Right Place”) Agent Lincoln Lee travels to the alternate universe and meets his doppelganger — Captain Lee. In our universe, Agent Lee is a bit of a nerd — reserved, a nice guy, but definitely not his confident charismatic twin in the alternate universe.
The two Lee’s begin to compare their lives looking for how they could be so different. Everything appears to be the same. Our Agent Lee can’t figure out where the two characters diverged. His doppelganger points out that some things come down to CHOICE. One version of Lincoln Lee chose to embrace life and step outside his comfort zone; the other didn’t proceed as confidently.
After watching this episode last night, I woke up this morning thinking of a line from the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Founders felt it was “self-evident” (meaning there was no need for proof or argument) that all men are created equal. Our Creator views us all the same when we enter this world. This doesn’t mean that we all come to equal places, with equal bodies, or even equal opportunities. Nor does it mean that an outside force should come along and level the playing field. It does mean we hold equal value in our Creator’s eyes.
It also means we arrive packaged with certain “unalienable rights.” The word unalienable means they can’t be taken away or given away by the possessor. The Declaration lists three things that should never be taken away from an individual (nor can individuals successfully transfer these to anyone else). These are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Our lives are sacred – EVERY life is sacred. Our liberty (or our freedom to choose) and our quest for happiness are integral to the purpose for which we were created.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence asserted that the very reason governments are formed is “to secure these rights,” Safeguarding these rights is the very reason “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” In other words, we’re delegating to government the ability to protect these three things and really nothing more. Certainly, we are never delegating to it the right to take these three things away!
You might wonder how I went from an episode of Fringe to the Declaration of Independence. 🙂 Let me see if I can tie these two together. Both Agent Lee and Captain Lee came into their worlds equal. Unlike some of the other characters in the show who encountered points of divergence that took them on different paths, the two Lee’s had very similar lives – indistinguishable but for one thing – CHOICE and how they decided to PURSUE HAPPINESS.
Our agent Lee did not step up and make the more confident and challenging choices. His doppelganger chose to proactively create his life and pursue happiness. One waited for happiness to find him. The other reached out and chose it.
Given that the two men lived in free-enough societies that protected their lives, their ability to choose and their pursuit of happiness, it came down to their own choices.
It’s become abundantly clear to me that not choosing is a choice. Settling for less is a choice. Being less than you could be is the result of many small choices you make every day of your life. How many of us settle – never actively choosing to pursue happiness? Are we consistently stepping up and making the small courageous choices?
In any situation, no matter how insignificant it seems, there is usually one choice that is slightly better than the other. What if we paused to ask ourselves which choice is the more courageous one? Which one leads to more life, more liberty and happiness for ourselves and others? If we pause to assess and then step into the courageous choice, we will find that eventually we have created a vibrant, abundant and happy life.
Ultimately what God has given us is the freedom to create our own lives! From our small daily choices, great things are brought to pass.
So, if there is an alternate universe somewhere where you’re making the courageous choices, what would your doppelganger’s life be like? And how could you be a little bit more like him or her?
About Marnie Pehrson Kuhns
Marnie Pehrson Kuhns is a Certified SimplyAlign Practitioner™ who uses music and creativity to mentor you past barriers, fears and doubts to discover, create, align with, and deliver your soul’s song (the mission, message or purpose you are on this earth to live). Marnie is a best-selling author with 31 fiction and nonfiction titles. If you'd like Marnie and her husband Dave to work with you personally on Your Great Reinvention, get a FREE 20-minute strategy session with Marnie here.
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