fleeting

Life and physics

A mix of forces we notice and those we dont.
Sep 06, 2024
3 min read

We are born with potential energy, a latent power waiting to be realized. As we grow, we convert that potential into kinetic energy—motion, action, the pursuit of goals. But like particles in motion, we are constantly affected by external forces—society, relationships, and circumstance—changing our trajectory in ways we can’t always predict.

Just as physics has its laws, life has its rules. For every action, there is a reaction. Our choices ripple outward, impacting others and returning to us in ways we often don’t expect. And like the principle of entropy, the universe tends toward disorder; no matter how much we strive for order, chaos is always part of the equation.

In physics, we can never observe everything at once. Similarly, in life, we can’t grasp every aspect of existence at the same time.

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle tells us that the more precisely we know one thing (like our position), the less we know about another (like our momentum). Life is like that: the more we try to lock down one area—career, relationships, happiness—the more elusive other parts can become.

Time in physics is a one-way street, flowing inevitably forward. In life, we experience it as fleeting moments, constantly moving, never stopping. We can’t go back, only forward, as we build our stories from the remnants of the past.

Yet in both physics and life, there is beauty in the unpredictability. Quantum mechanics shows us that at the smallest level, particles behave in ways we can’t fully explain—a reminder that not everything needs to be understood to be real. Life is also filled with moments that defy reason, unexpected coincidences that can’t be anticipated but shape who we become.

We find ourselves in a delicate equilibrium between forces pulling us in different directions, yet somehow, in that tension, we discover our own momentum, our path through the chaos.

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