Entropy, crucial to the second law of thermodynamics, suggests that over time, an ordered system will always evolve into random chaos. Because this is, in fact, the definition of equilibrium, I feel somewhat comforted to know I may well be one of the most balanced men on the planet. Apparently age does have its benefits. Though I’ll admit, all this disorder and chaos doesn’t really feel as stable as the math suggests.
Entropy has a way of sneaking up on a fellow. It doesn’t seem all that long ago when random bursts of chaos would disrupt my life only once or twice a week. Then, in a flash, it became once or twice a day; then once or twice an hour. Now chaos is so prevalent that order has become the anomaly, if any exists at all. Basically, my days consist of sitting at my computer waiting for new crap to go wrong, while working to rectify the crap that just went wrong seconds earlier.
Still, I do sometimes wonder whether chaos is really on the rise, or if there’s something else afoot.
Does life really become more chaotic as we age? Or is it just our perceptions that change? Certainly, worming one’s way out of the womb qualifies as an upheaval. As is being forced to play with other imbecilic toddlers at the local playground. All life is turmoil. School begets jobs. Dating begets marriage begets divorce. Bills? Taxes? Bosses? Employees? Everyone screwing up. Everything breaking. It does seem as if chaos has always been abundantly present.
Perhaps chaos is a steady stampede, but it arrives faster than we can wrangle order, so it accumulates — occupying an ever more ominous percentage of our lives.
Maybe it’s the mortality factor? When we’re young, our whole life is still in front of us — so it seems like we have all the time in the world to address the chaos, like it’s something we can deal with tomorrow. But tomorrow always comes. And when it does, so does the realization that we’re rapidly running out of tomorrows.
Or maybe we just become less physically equipped to deal with it? Once one begins to succumb to the desire for an afternoon nap, one’s probably not as vital as they were in their 20’s. So perhaps the chaos only seems more prevalent because it requires a larger percentage of one’s actual physical and mental reserves.
Then again, I suppose any such inability to deal effectively with chaos is, itself, just another form of chaos. And if the last several years are any indication, it’s going to be a pretty wild ride from here on out. So if entropy is as real as the hoity-toity physicists suggest, there’s no use fighting. It’s inevitable. Strap in, hang on, and enjoy the view of order scattering asunder.
©2024 grEGORy simpson
ABOUT THE ARTICLE/PHOTOS:
Apparently the universe is an avid ULTRAsomething reader. Who knew? The very act of uploading the first draft of this article caused some sort of catastrophic site failure, requiring several hours of research, tech support discussion, and a bunch of coding just to bring the site back online. Thanks, entropy, for letting your presence be known once again and in such an obviously ironic way.
Uzumaki is an abstract shot of a subject I’ve been obsessed with trying to photograph for 20 years. I can finally check it off the list. Shot with a Minolta TC-1 on Tri-X at ISO 400 and developed in Blazinal 1:50.
Elements was shot with a Hasselblad 500C/M using an obviously distressed 120 back and fronted with a 30mm f/3.5 F-Distagon fisheye lens. For added anti-fidelity, a roll of TMAX 400, which expired 13+ years ago was also employed, as was my usual tank of Blazinal 1:50.
56 Panes was shot on an Olympus Xa, using HP5+ pushed to ISO 800 and developed in Blazinal 1:50.
Introspective was shot with a Nikon 28Ti on Fomapan 400, and developed in Blazinal 1:50.
Fog Bank was shot on a Nikon S3, fronted with a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens on HP5+ at ISO 400, and developed in Blazinal 1:50.
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I’m just relieved it’s no longer May. Everyone canoodling. Hawthorn goblins running riot hissing curses. The birds are cute in May I suppose. Had to prune the buddleia – pure entropy magnet that thing, Even by my standards. Lunatic bloody thing. My plant familiar for sure.
Of course much of what passes for entropy are simply deeper layers of order manifesting themselves. All that fractal malarkay. Machine elves even. I don’t trust them personally. I prefer pure entropy. The void.
In our town we have this reflective stainless steel “lemon squeezer” sculpture thing. Very good for abstract selfies like your Introspective.
I count 57 panes, not 56. I know – nobody likes a smartass!
If you’re counting my reflection as the 57th pane, that’s actually spelled p-a-i-n.
I could probably find some Tarot symbolism in there, but that’s just more pain..