The Ghost in the Machine - Lent 2023: Day 26

Intermittent faults. You come across them here and there, you can't trace them to any one thing in particular; they could be systemic, they could be one-off, a software issue, a hardware problem - you don't know. 

Entropy reigns. 

Any machine will, over time, break down as its parts wear out. Any biological organism will die, sooner or later. From out of chaotic disorder (random atoms and molecules), creativity brings order (parts brought together to construct a chair or a laptop, or biological life brought into being). And then back into disorder again (things break down, people age and die). 

This is how we observe the arrow of time - through the effects of the second law of thermodynamics. Left on its own in a cold room, a cup of tea will cool down, not heat up. An omelette can never return to the state of being an egg. A butterfly cannot become a caterpillar.

We cannot reverse the arrow of time. 

But we can slow it down.

A machine that's properly maintained will function longer than one which is neglected, left to rust in a corner, used irregularly. Similarly, all other things being equal, human beings who looks after their body - exercise and healthy diet - are likely to outlive those that do no exercise and eat junk food.

But there is also - I believe - a metaphysical 'brake' that we can apply.

Conscious care, applied to one's body, one's possessions - including living ones, such as pets and plants - extends to more than just regular maintenance. It means not being complacent for one's health and things, being grateful for one's health and things, and willing them on. The laptop on which I write was bought used in June 2018, when already 18 months old; it's still doing fine. I am willing it on!

The biological equivalent of intermittent, untraceable faults, are ailments of unknown aetiology. A good example is cramp - I was woken up twice last night by painful leg cramps. Because these are not dangerous or likely to turn into anything worse, medical science hasn't devoted much time investigating what factors bring about this disorder. I suspect a hereditary element, as my father had this too, increasing in frequency with age. Another is pompholyx, a skin disorder. I had this, primarily on my fingers, from the age of 15 to the age of 40, peaking around 20. Again, no big deal, so medical science is still unable to pin down a cause. My own experience suggests direct sunlight (it was always worst in high summer), but medical science posits food allergens, over-frequent hand-washing and other causes that certainly did not apply to me.

This type of 

Be at one with yourself; be at one with your stuff. Hold it close and look after it. If you can't - you have too much stuff. Old stuff takes on new life when you take a renewed interest in it. Fixes, hacks and workarounds keep things going on. Observation, monitoring and feedback are crucial to this virtuous metaphysical cycle.

A watched pot never boils. That's a pot that's physically watched - and metaphysically observed.

An observed life rushes past less quickly.

Lent 2022: Day 26
The End of Times

Lent 2021: Day 26
Physical Immortality

Lent 2020: Day 26
Intimations of Immortality