It has been an interesting year
Published: Thu, 12/22/16
So, nearly at the end of another year and there is a lot of commentary that it hasn’t been a very good one. I would prefer to say that it has been an interesting year with a mixture of good and bad. Okay, we had the EU referendum which narrowly went for leave. Some are devastated at that result and prophesy disaster. Others are angry that article 50 wasn’t invoked the day after the result was announced and suspect it actually never will be. The real question is perhaps: Why did David Cameron think it was a good idea to win an election by promising a referendum while having no plan for a leave result? Then there was the presidential election in the USA, personally I think the world is better off with a Trump presidency than a Clinton one, but that is a bit like saying that you are better off dying of a heart attack rather than cancer. The real question? Why, out of an eligible population of at least 50 million people who (I
mean adults who were born in the USA who are not certifiably insane) couldn’t the Republicans and Democrats find anyone else for American voters to chose from?
Both examples are democracy in action and democracy is good, right?
The news has been varied this year and there certainly have been many, mainly man made, tragedies. But don’t fall for either the ‘everything is out of control and nothing makes sense’ randomness argument. Or the ‘its all manipulated behind the scenes and freedom is all an illusion anyway’ delusion. We do certain things this time of year to remind ourselves of some very important lessons.
The winter solstice arrived bang on time, just as it has done for millions of years and will for millions more. So, we are reminded that our universe is essentially reliable.
Christmas is a reminder that things can change. You can see the Christian birth story as symbolic of the hope and love that we hope is inspired in the birth of all babies. If you are so inclined you can see it as a divine intervention changing the world for the better. Perhaps both are true. Unexpected changes for the better and a new inspirations for living can, and do happen at any time.
If the solstice reminds us of the perfect reliability of the universe then Christmas reminds us of the random possibility of new life within that predictable universe.
Then there is the completely man made idea of ‘New Year’ which is just another number on the calender. Yet we still give ourselves permission to make a new start and pass resolutions to do better. We do it just because it is the New Year and maybe that is as good a reason as any.
We don’t live in a random universe, we don’t live in a deterministic universe. We live in an ergodic universe, that means it is determined enough to be possible and random enough to be interesting. You really would not want it any other way.
So, be reassured by the solstice, be inspired by Christmas and have an egodic new year, happy and safe, exiting and interesting. And, watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TrZB74DALs if it does not put a smile on your face you have no soul!
regards
Graham