The Laws of Physics Inform Us Something About Life
Most, if not all, of us would like to believe that there is a force leading us along. I would like to think that this force of nature is likely not an act of God, but rather, it is the force of the Universe: The Laws of Physics and complex mathematical equations.
The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics are possibly the most fundamental law when it comes to explaining the physical nature in this Universe. The First Law of Thermodynamics is also widely known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, whereas the Second Law of Thermodynamics explains that in any systems, given time, will experience an increase of entropy when undergoing a natural process. Chaos will strike in and throw the system into disarray. A building will gradually collapse after long period of neglect; people will eventually grow and wither away from existence; mountains and coastlines will constantly be shifted and eroded away.
In other words, the fate of the Universe will gradually become more and more disorganized and chaotic, or may even perish from the face of it all.
Why do I like to believe that the Laws of Thermodynamics is the fundamental law governing the Universe? This is because it set the arena that our creator delicately crafted what we know as "Life's Consciousness". Without the existence of this arena, Life would make little to no practical sense at all.
Renowned Austrian physicist and philosopher Ludwig Boltzmann once mentioned that "the order of the world is not created by God but rather by the random collisions of atoms". As a result of such unpredictable movement of the atoms, the environment at large has also become very uncertain, with new problems arising at any given moment. We ought to leverage on this uncertainty to challenge our own way of thinking in Life, so that, like many predecessors before us, we can improve and bring about unprecendented change in this rich colourful world we live in.
Human civilization is a small part of evolutionary history, and our lives is a journey of growth. Human consciousness is very much a result of our constant reaction and perception toward the unpredictable challenges in a chaotic and fleeting external environment around us that threaten to derail our very existence in this world. The true meaning for each of our presence in this world is then to create and accumulate the value of these experiences. Where there are no turmoil and hardships, there would exist no progress and breakthroughs. Perfection can only bring about stagnation. Therefore, it seems the unpredictability and endless disorientation of this world that we live in is a norm, and a guiding principle, for which our Creator has delicately designed for all living creatures that ever exist.
We are born into this world, faced with a completely unfamiliar environment and an uncharted future. Our brain, ever since young, has to deal with problems big and small everyday and attempts to resolve them to get them out of our way. Through these experiences and lessons learnt, all of us are able to come up with our own ways to classify them as a "law". We then get to decide whether the "laws" that each of us contrive based on these experiences will serve as a guideline or a strategy should new problems crop up in the future. As a matter of fact, us humans are really much like a small quantum computer that is built to perform as such:
INPUT: Receiving new problems form the external environment.
READ: Making use of data analytics to mine for relevant experiences form the past.
CALCUATION: Making use of complex decision algorithms to determine a optimal solution.
OUTPUT: Respond appropriately and record current experience.
It is inevitable that the environment we are exposed in is filled with impermanence and uncertainty. Hence, the most important thing in Life is really not about the results coming from your actions, rather, the focus ought to lie in your response in everyday living, then your creation and the accumulation of experiences.
Not in the moment of success, but in the continuous pursuit for growth.
As what Morris Chang, the founder and CEO of TSMC, once mentioned that Life will not be pleasant nine times out of ten, but the decisive factor in determining your quality of Life does not lie in those nine times, but in that ONE moment. We ought to maintain a positive attitude during times of adversities and remind yourself of that ONE pleasant moment that keeps you going. Finally, when the time comes for us to move beyond those hard times, the lessons that were learnt the hard way will then prove to be the most fertile nutrients you can ever find in Life. What captivated him was never the sufferings each of us went through, simply because all of us will have to face the reality that is fraught with obstacles at some point in time. Rather, it is their perseverance, their optimism, and their courage in the face of these turmoil that mesmerized him most.
The chaotic and random inclination depicted in the concept of Thermodynamics is in fact could also be seen as a study of Probablities. The laws of physics being implemented in this universe dictate that the choice with the highest probability will almost always overcome the other minorities. Under most circumstances, if not all, the docile part of the system will fall into the minorities, with the undisciplined and messy nature forming the majority. Therefore, it is only natural for the system to take on the path with the higher probability and eventually fall apart.
For example, the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 have a total of 120 permutations in which they can be arranged in. The smallest to largest (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and the largest to the smallest (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) arrangements are deemed as the organized and docile, while the other 118 combinations will form the random part of the equation. The number of atoms involved in a simple system can amount to hundreds of billions, and in this case, the probability of the system becoming docile is effectively zero.
In a game of cards, the chances of getting a Royal Flush is rare and most of the time, we would be dealt with random cards that won't immediately win the game. Life, more often than not, is just like a game of cards. There is a saying that goes: "Life consists not in holding good cards (Personal background, Talents, Luck), but in playing those that you hold well (Personal choices, attempting to try, lessons being learnt, change and adapt, etc.)".
In other words, the fate of the Universe will gradually become more and more disorganized and chaotic, or may even perish from the face of it all.
Why do I like to believe that the Laws of Thermodynamics is the fundamental law governing the Universe? This is because it set the arena that our creator delicately crafted what we know as "Life's Consciousness". Without the existence of this arena, Life would make little to no practical sense at all.
Renowned Austrian physicist and philosopher Ludwig Boltzmann once mentioned that "the order of the world is not created by God but rather by the random collisions of atoms". As a result of such unpredictable movement of the atoms, the environment at large has also become very uncertain, with new problems arising at any given moment. We ought to leverage on this uncertainty to challenge our own way of thinking in Life, so that, like many predecessors before us, we can improve and bring about unprecendented change in this rich colourful world we live in.
Human civilization is a small part of evolutionary history, and our lives is a journey of growth. Human consciousness is very much a result of our constant reaction and perception toward the unpredictable challenges in a chaotic and fleeting external environment around us that threaten to derail our very existence in this world. The true meaning for each of our presence in this world is then to create and accumulate the value of these experiences. Where there are no turmoil and hardships, there would exist no progress and breakthroughs. Perfection can only bring about stagnation. Therefore, it seems the unpredictability and endless disorientation of this world that we live in is a norm, and a guiding principle, for which our Creator has delicately designed for all living creatures that ever exist.
We are born into this world, faced with a completely unfamiliar environment and an uncharted future. Our brain, ever since young, has to deal with problems big and small everyday and attempts to resolve them to get them out of our way. Through these experiences and lessons learnt, all of us are able to come up with our own ways to classify them as a "law". We then get to decide whether the "laws" that each of us contrive based on these experiences will serve as a guideline or a strategy should new problems crop up in the future. As a matter of fact, us humans are really much like a small quantum computer that is built to perform as such:
INPUT: Receiving new problems form the external environment.
READ: Making use of data analytics to mine for relevant experiences form the past.
CALCUATION: Making use of complex decision algorithms to determine a optimal solution.
OUTPUT: Respond appropriately and record current experience.
It is inevitable that the environment we are exposed in is filled with impermanence and uncertainty. Hence, the most important thing in Life is really not about the results coming from your actions, rather, the focus ought to lie in your response in everyday living, then your creation and the accumulation of experiences.
Not in the moment of success, but in the continuous pursuit for growth.
As what Morris Chang, the founder and CEO of TSMC, once mentioned that Life will not be pleasant nine times out of ten, but the decisive factor in determining your quality of Life does not lie in those nine times, but in that ONE moment. We ought to maintain a positive attitude during times of adversities and remind yourself of that ONE pleasant moment that keeps you going. Finally, when the time comes for us to move beyond those hard times, the lessons that were learnt the hard way will then prove to be the most fertile nutrients you can ever find in Life. What captivated him was never the sufferings each of us went through, simply because all of us will have to face the reality that is fraught with obstacles at some point in time. Rather, it is their perseverance, their optimism, and their courage in the face of these turmoil that mesmerized him most.
The chaotic and random inclination depicted in the concept of Thermodynamics is in fact could also be seen as a study of Probablities. The laws of physics being implemented in this universe dictate that the choice with the highest probability will almost always overcome the other minorities. Under most circumstances, if not all, the docile part of the system will fall into the minorities, with the undisciplined and messy nature forming the majority. Therefore, it is only natural for the system to take on the path with the higher probability and eventually fall apart.
For example, the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 have a total of 120 permutations in which they can be arranged in. The smallest to largest (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and the largest to the smallest (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) arrangements are deemed as the organized and docile, while the other 118 combinations will form the random part of the equation. The number of atoms involved in a simple system can amount to hundreds of billions, and in this case, the probability of the system becoming docile is effectively zero.
In a game of cards, the chances of getting a Royal Flush is rare and most of the time, we would be dealt with random cards that won't immediately win the game. Life, more often than not, is just like a game of cards. There is a saying that goes: "Life consists not in holding good cards (Personal background, Talents, Luck), but in playing those that you hold well (Personal choices, attempting to try, lessons being learnt, change and adapt, etc.)".
The attitude in our response to external stimulants is the key to the core of Life. Squaring up, retaliate, and creating valuable experience in the face of adversities are the basic programmings of Life. In the Laws of Phyics as we know it, the process we all go through can be seen as a calculative one. Its ultimate objective is to optimally realize and accomplish the addition, accumulation and utilization of all meaningful information collated.
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