The Entropic Life

Everything is always changing, constantly moving.

Atoms vibrating, axons signaling, molecules rearranging—when even the smallest components of life are constantly in flux, it can still feel like change is the result of some failure or simply something to be overcome. And sure, this can sometimes be the case, but it's not inherent to the nature of change: one of the primary forces acting upon life is entropy—the tendency of things to be unpredictable and gradually become disordered. In that case, "change" as we understand it is more than reconciliation with mistakes or an accomplishment in the face of difficulty; it is an inevitability.

Either the tides will shift or your perspective must. 

Without cutting ourselves a dangerous amount of slack, we can at the very least take our allotted comfort in the understanding that life favors disorder. We should do our best to combat chaos, but when the dust settles, our best isn't always going to be good enough. What's important is that we embrace life's comings and goings, know ourselves, and unflinchingly move forward.

Let there be action in your reaction.

There's a crucial difference between the awareness of the fact that things change, and the acceptance of it. The rock that splits the river's course will weather and crumble, never knowing what lies downstream. Anticipating change and knowing when to let it carry you to the next thing enables you to remain in control of its only governable aspect: your reaction to it.

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