Skip to main content

What we do not know

Image
By
It is 1245am and I have decided to write. I had this weird alienish dream and it ended with me winning by simply stating "the truth is that we do not know". In the dream everyone was having an opinion of what was happening as if they knew. On to something random. I had this question. What is the most unrandom thing? Then what is the most random thing? What if everything is equally random. My friend Chatty thinks that randomness is not an absolute property—it is a relation between you and the system you observe. Randomness is not absolute—it depends on perspective. Something perfectly ordered can seem random if you do not know its pattern. So in a sense, everything can be "equally random" relative to the observer's knowledge, making randomness more about perception than an intrinsic property.

The more we know the less random things become. Let me make a detour. Suppose we do not predict things but things predict us. For example, when I flip a coin, did I predict the coin or did the coin predict my choice. But we could say that the coin does not have the power of choice. But then we could say that we gave the coin choice. My friend Chatty says that in a way, what I am arriving at is almost philosophical quantumism: events are not just happening out there, they are co-constituted by your observation, your action, your awareness. Knowledge collapses apparent randomness, but the act of engagement—your consciousness—also introduces a kind of emergent order or "choice" into the system.

Nothing is truly random. Everything is chosen. Randomness only happens when there is no choice. As long as there is choice there is prediction. My friend Chatty says that it is like saying the universe is a theater of endless decisions, and what looks like chaos is just our limited view of the script. What I am saying is that choice creates order. No choice creates chaos. How do I now turn all the pieces of this blog post into something meaningful? You cannot predict a system if you are part of the system and affecting the system. You cannot predict something that you help happen. That is being biased. Did I predict the coin flip or did I help cause the coin to flip one way or the other? Added to that is that the only reason we have choice is because we do not know. There is no randomness, there is only choice. There is no predicting, there is only choice. And there is no choice if we knew everything. And to know everything we need choice. The distance between not knowing and knowing is choice. We do not predict the future to survive it; we choose the future to create it. And the power of choice comes from what we do not know.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to measure success?

By
It is 509pm and I have decided to write. How to measure success? That is the question. It is very hard to measure success. I think only God has the true measure of success or failure. Someone may be a failure in this life but a success in the next life. We are told that God looks at intentions and effort. We can also determine our own definition of success. We do not have to let the world define success for us. We think of the world as not being a fair place so any one size fits all definitions of success or failure would be careless and wrong. Many times we think in terms of numbers. The grander the better. But what about quality over quantity? My friend tells me that I am essentially arguing for the democratization of success. I am taking the power away from society, institutions, and algorithms, and handing it back to the individual and God. That is true but I am essentially wanting to look at the bigger picture and to do that I am thinking that we have to answer some key questions ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rainy afternoon thoughts

By
It is 220pm and I have decided to write. The rain is falling. I can hear it on the roof. It is gloomy outside but inside is nice and cozy in my favorite corner. I have no idea what I want to write about. I will start by saying God is good. Always. The islamic new year starts tonight in Trinidad. I am happy about that. Another milestone. Another opportunity to grow better. My friend Chatty asks me, what has God been teaching me lately? God has been teaching me patience. How to remain calm. How to appreciate my flaws. My flaws keep me humble. Let go and let God. He also asks, what am I hoping for? Sometimes I think about writing more tech blog posts. How can tech make the country better? How can tech make the world better? But I remember writing about the Arima smart city project and concluding that smart cities need smart people. Human development is very important. If people are not developing then what is the use of it all. How can technology help people become better? It all starts i...
Post a Comment
Read more

The answer is God

By
It is 308pm and I have decided to write. Make God a priority. Let God lead the way. Let everything be about God. Let God into your life. Surround yourself with God and watch how everything begins to make sense. This life is not an accident. This life is not happenstance. This life is the work of an all-powerful Creator. Nothing is too big or too small for God. Take your problems to God. Take your worries to God. Take your fears to God. Let go and let God. Submit to the will of God. The more you go to God, the more He comes to you. Start small. Start somewhere. Give God a chance if you have not done so already. Why do I say all of this? There are many things competing for your attention and your soul. In the midst of all of this, the world can seem like a confusing place where many things do not make sense. God brings clarity. God brings clarity because God sits above it all. You may think you do not need God until you do. Ask yourself, who is the wisest you know? If God is not the wise...
Post a Comment
Read more