Entropy: The Minimum Order Navigating Life's Disorder
If left alone, rooms become messy and relationships grow distant. Through the second law of physics, 'Entropy,' we explore how to preserve the meaning and energy of our lives in a collapsing world.
Entropy: The Cosmic Arrow Toward Collapse
In physics, there is an iron rule that can never be violated: the 'Second Law of Thermodynamics,' or the Law of Increasing Entropy. This is the principle that over time, all isolated systems move toward a state of disorder.
The reason a broken egg never merges back together, the reason hot coffee eventually becomes cold, and the reason our rooms become a mess quickly if not cleaned, is precisely because of this entropy.
I. Life as a Grand Resistance Against Entropy
The definition of a living organism is paradoxical. Life is a miracle that creates order (Negative Entropy) against the inevitable disorder of the universe.
- Every biological activity—adapting to the environment, consuming energy, and regenerating cells—is a desperate struggle to maintain the form of 'me' against the waves of entropy.
- The moment we stop making an effort, which is the moment we encounter death, we succumb to the laws of physics and return to the disordered dust of the universe.
II. Entropy of Relationships and Mind
This law applies just as much to our daily lives and psychology.
- Regress of Relationships: Any relationship will fall into a disorder of silence and misunderstanding if energy is not poured into caring for it. Love is not merely maintained; it is an active act of injecting energy against entropy every day.
- Confusion of Thoughts: If we do not regularly organize our minds, our consciousness will be enveloped in a disordered fog of stray thoughts and anxiety. Meditation or journaling are essential tasks to lower mental entropy.
III. Finding Meaning in Disorder: Bricolage
Entropy is unavoidable. However, we can use it.
- Collapse as an Opportunity for New Creation: Only when the old order collapses can new forms of complexity and creativity appear. Just as a dead tree in a forest becomes fertilizer to spark new life, the chaos of life becomes the material to establish a more robust order.
- Minimum Order: Do not try to control everything perfectly. It is impossible to block entropy completely. But as long as you have the 'minimum routines' and 'core values' to support your life, you can become a ship that does not sink on the ocean of disorder.
Conclusion: Where Will You Use Your Energy?
The grand flow of the universe tries to scatter everything. However, you are a gardener tending a garden named 'Meaning' in the middle of that flow.
If your room is messy, your relationships are twisted, and your heart is stifled, that is a perfectly natural result of the laws of physics. It's not because you are lacking. It simply means it's time to supply 'energy' to your world. On what kind of order will you use your precious energy today? Your small effort against entropy will make you truly alive.