Are relaxed phases in your life usually only short-lived? Maybe there is a physical explanation for this: entropy.
Life is often compared to a rollercoaster ride: sometimes it goes up, sometimes down, sometimes we feel sick and sometimes we would like to get out. But basically it never works just straight at the top. No matter how hard we try and do everything right – sooner or later the chaos takes over and things get out of hand. Why is that? Oh well. Strictly speaking, the question arises rather: Why should we expect it not to be?
No order is permanent
In physics, the so-called entropy is a fundamental quantity of state, i.e. one of the laws of nature that processes on our earth usually follow. According to the author Christina Fischer of "Mymonk", it describes the degree of "disorder" or "unpredictability" in which a system is located. Normally, entropy increases if you don't do anything and let nature take its course. To put it simply: Over time, everything that is ordered gets mixed up by itself. Substances mix, units disintegrate, bound energy becomes free, things expand until they are no longer the things they once were. Tohuwabohu wherever we look. Why should we of all people be an exception here – or our lives?
Especially since with the addition of time our life becomes more multi-part and complex than simple: We collect experiences, possessions, relationships, interests. Our demands rise, responsibility grows, skills improve or wither. Our natural path leads us further and further in the direction of chaos and unpredictability, and not just us, but also the people and circumstances around us. Life means change and decay. But that's not something we should quarrel with, on the contrary: We should try to accept and appreciate it – as difficult as it is sometimes …
Chaos and decay give us drive and meaning
On the one hand, it seems paradoxical and almost a bit frustrating that essential features of our existence like impermanence and impermanence make us so difficult. Loss, aging, death – for most people these things are among the most painful experiences, and without them no new beginning would be possible and therefore no life either.
On the other hand, our aversion to chaos and disintegration leads us to invest our energy in counteracting it: We always try to fix things when they get too out of hand. We strive to create something that will last, ideally even longer than our own lives. That's why we get involved, have relationships, some of us have children, others write poetry, and yet others explore nature. Chaos and decay drive us and give us motivation. It might be easy and convenient for us if our lives were consistently and permanently in order. But what would we do then? And why?