extrapolating fundamental patterns

I was sitting outside last night looking up at the full moon thinking about patterns. As an undergrad at the Maharishi University, we trained ourselves to recognize natures most fundamental patterns and how they build into the complex systems we see around us everyday. The movement of the planets, the dance of bees, the process of digestion, the rise and fall of the tides, all of the observable univers emerges from the same source so it is no wonder that they share common patterns. One of my favorite patterns is that of rest and activity and their relationship to growth and progress. We can see this pattern in many things. In our own breath, in our sleep cycle, in the growth of plants, in the leeps of intuition that so often drive our society forward. The best part about the fundamental patterns of nature is that we, us humans, area an integral part of nature and as such have all the patterns within us. We have only to understand our own Self to gain deeper understanding of the world around us.

For example, let's take a quick look at how we can learn from our understanding and experience of our sleeping patterns to further our understanding of the business cycle. It is fair to say that rest is the basis of activity and not the other way around. Sleep is our way of recharging our batteries and without a good charge, it's hard for any activity to occur. It is the same in business (and just about everything under the sun). What is the "battery" of business that must be maintained, what is the energy that drives business? Cash is the obvious answer, and just as humans need to stay rested to maintain their levels of energy, so to do businesses need to maintain their cash flows to have enough "energy" to remain sustainable over time. Taking out a business loan is like staying up to late. We can do it, and it may even be necessary for a some reason, but after awhile it will catch up with us. We will eventually have to get more sleep, (pay back the loans), or we'll get sick, (get sued), and will have to stay in bed until we recuperate.