Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Solve for X

We are taught to baseline. To incorporate additional factors one at a time. And to alter the ebb and flow of variables incrementally while effecting change. So that we stay in control. And ensure that our little experiments don't blow up in our faces.

I used to think I was a control freak. But lately, I find myself gravitating more towards chaos than order. Try as I may to develop a list, there is more to do at work than I can write down. I walked around in circles for several minutes this afternoon, trying to determine which ball to drop first. Only to crack up laughing as I realized people were staring.

My life, like yours, is probably best described with a differential equation. One with too many variables to ever solve, though... Despite precisely controlled science experiments! How can you ever hope to solve an equation whose variables are always changing? Quickly. Sometimes without reason. And many times, entirely accidentally.

Try as we may to keep our focus on something important, we will eventually tire. What is new, challenging, or exciting will become normal and routine. And though it will not always become mundane, what once caused our eyes to widen, our hearts to pound, and our stomach to drop, will cease to catch our attention the way it once did.

So far, one of the few conculsions I've come to make is that signifigance, in general, tends to wane. Even when we don't mean for it to do so.

But every now and then we are forced to shift focus. Causes to be determined, we identify new variables. And apply new constants. Detoured, we try to find the silver lining. We still can't solve for X, but sometimes, if we're lucky, we can solve for Y. We smile to ourselves. Not entirely there yet, it does feel nice to be a little closer to knowing the real value of X.

“I never, ever, ever take a race for granted until I cross the finish line.”
- Apolo Ohno

8 comments:

running42k said...

A post like that it's no doubt you are an engineer.

pookalu said...

it's so true about critical thinking, one of those little tricks you should know in order to actually take from the information that you have.

i love your geeky analogy to life! my corollary to it is, of course, the definition of your system (closed or open), and how you approach each problem in relation to the baseline.

Anonymous said...

Great Post! Your 4th paragraph really hit me. Hopefully my cycling/running will always be exciting to me and never become just another thing that I do.

walchka said...

Hear hear, what a great post and I totally dig the engineering point of view. Furthermore what a great quote by Apolo. I'm going to have to add that one to my list.

Cliff said...

haha..exactly..a post like this is a sign of an engineer. :0

Not as much as I like to loose control I wonder if we can control every variable in life, it will be really boring...

a.maria said...

LOLOLOL.

as a chick that had more art classes than math/science, i'm not gunna lie... i had to read that twice to figure out what the hell you're talking about.

okay. 3 times. but the third time around i TOTALLY got it! and i'm diggin it.

sheesh. i used to be way smarter!! hee hee.

Habeela said...

Constantly resolving and redefining. That's how you stay focused. Great post!

mouse said...

[sigh]

this post so made me miss diff eq., physics, and just engineering in general...

wow. I never, ever thought I would say that. :)

great post!