Inescapably, left untended, things tend to fall apart: our car, the house, our physical condition and, alas, even our mental dexterity. This inexorable natural drive toward disorder is described by science as a measure of a system’s entropy. 

Simply put, over time, universally, systems will inevitably tend toward ruin. So, we may fix the car, paint the house, exercise and read, but unfailingly, any complex system, eventually even you and I, will grind to a halt.

Enter humans

In a universe naturally tending toward chaos, deterioration and dissipation, humans can be the organizers of order, direction and renewal. Characteristically, humans have been. With all our flaws and limitations, humans can bring order, coherence, organization and method to what we do. Agricultural and industrial systems are prime examples of the human capacity to act against natural entropic decay. In society and government, so are the Constitution, the courts and the rule of law. 

Humans can bring the negentropic (negative entropy) force of energy that orders the world, for the better (or not). 

Currently, that may be a part of why many of us are so obviously stressing. That is, especially now, when there is such a gaping void between our vast potential to repair and restore and what is, at best, the current observable feeble performance toward a better, more equitable human condition.

The remarkable human potential

Human life itself seems to pose an argument against the law of entropy. If humans can renew and reorder our world, then, continuing as a species, shouldn’t we need only apply our intelligence to thwart the forces of entropic decay and perhaps in the process, build a more just world? 

But do we? Will we? Thus far, in the modern era, humanity has found shallow and illogical reasons for its failure to act in concert for the greater good. Color, sex, class, religion, greed, birth origin, language, age, et. al. do not comprise significant arguments against seeking justice and the good life for all people. In fact, they are merely commonly recognized social constructs and not arguments at all. We learn to distinguish people by these simple attributes and then some choose to believe that they should pejoratively “judge a book by its cover.”

That kind of specious reasoning thwarts the human potential that, literally, could remake the world. Compounding the issue are those who like the world just as it is and stand stubbornly in the way of any transformative actions.

And so…

Speaking of which, the current administration wants to consolidate its power, micro-manage all our lives, and despite claims, certainly has evidenced little or no interest in reimagining a better human condition for the “common” folk. Instead, it seems to want to return to the time of kings, serfs and slaves. 

Crucially, the administration still requires more citizen help to achieve its autocratic goals. Even if a sucker is born every minute, we must steadfastly avoid the hate bait. In my opinion, we are all better off without an aged, hateful and often incoherent wannabe despot in charge. 

Going forward, let us carefully reconsider our leadership options and help find a reasonable path away from entropic decay and toward a renewal for all our people.

John Pace lives in Honesdale, PA. He writes on Substack at John in the Woods.