Words are the Atoms in a Quantum System

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“For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” – 1 Corinthians 13:9-10

Words do weird things. By itself, a single word can mean many different things. Only through unity in a phrase, sentence, paragraph, or essay do words become more meaningful and magical.

Quantum systems do weird things too. Atoms and subatomic particles behave in ways that surprise our intuition. Physicists and hobbyists work hard to add to our partial knowledge about the fundamental nature of reality, but we still have not “figured it all out,” and maybe we never will in this life.

Just because two things behave strangely does not mean they are the same. Still, both words and atoms act in ways that draw our attention to a deeper connection, and that connection should shape how we think and act in the world.

We already have plenty of empirical interpretations for quantum systems. Yet it still bugs me that we can usually only say where an atom probably is and how fast it is probably moving. These systems become clear and coherent only when we look backward, but are impossible to predict with certainty when we look forward. Even more mysteriously, entangled particles seem to “share” information in ways that look like they bypass our normal sense of physical limits: measure one in a certain state, and its partner instantly shows a corresponding state even across great distances.

In other words, a particle could do many things, but we do not know which until it is “locked in.” And the systems seem to follow rules that sit beyond our current understanding of the universe. Like the turkey that assumes the sun will rise every day right up until the axe falls, we tend to oversimplify and overlook the chaos and complexity happening within and around us.

Our moral sense also seems to emerge from these lower layers: from deep within our being, through biology, which itself comes from chemistry and physics. Thus, it is wise to act in the world in a way that is consistent with the deepest truths of the world. So how should the chaotic, probabilistic nature of reality affect our mindset?

Photo by Owais Khan on Unsplash

Remind yourself: you are not alone. Someone is watching and measuring your steps. That Someone loves you and wants the best for you. He gives you the opportunity to orient yourself in the world by acting and believing, moving from “probably” to “definitely.” What if God were the ever‑present authority who judges with justice and responds with both discipline and mercy based on your actions and your heart? That would help explain why good things often come to those who act with compassion, determination, and love, and why those who live out of nihilism, pain, and hatred cannot finally escape the weight of inner guilt.

Faith in God is faith in the Father who walks with us and works through us, whether we understand it or not.

The atom is not aware of how it interacts with other atoms in a system, nor how it exists as an abstract, buzzing probability cloud until it is suddenly “locked into place.” In a similar way, we only dimly see how our choices and relationships form a larger pattern until they are woven into a story.

Words also act like little atoms by themselves. They could mean many things at any given time, and they have connections among each other. Just look at that phrase: “Each other.”

“Other” often comes after “each,” but only when “each” is spoken first. The ideas carried by “each” or “other” could point in many directions by themselves. But when they are joined into “each other,” something new and beautiful appears: a greater meaning together that emerged beyond the individual meanings.

God’s Word as holy Scripture is itself a complex system of these little “atoms” or words that could have meant many things, but that were brought together and “locked into place” by the only One who can produce life through words. “For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” 1 Samuel 2-3. The Bible wrenches possibilities down into truth, turning probabilities into promises. It forms a deep consistency out of complexity, which is something we can only partially grasp, but should fully trust.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12-13

Turn around, go past the train tracks, and keep going

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I was out on a run on some country roads. As I took in the warm sun and raw landscape—grass, dirt, gravel, mud, and cows—I heard a voice calling out. I looked up. A woman had opened her window and was calling out to me with a distressed look. After a moment of confusion, I asked her what she said.

Made with DALL·E

She asked where US Cold Storage was. I inched toward her car window. Sorry, I didn’t know. “Can you help me?” So, I checked on my phone and found it – she had been heading the wrong direction. There is limited phone service out there, so her phone wasn’t connecting. She tapped the screen pointlessly. So we spent a minute figuring it out together. I ended up explaining: “Turn around, go past the train tracks, and keep going. You’ll reach some light industry buildings. It’s on the right. If you reach the school, you’ve gone too far. If you get lost, stop by those industry buildings and ask someone there. I’m sure they’ll help you.” She thanked me profusely. She was here for work. She lived five hours away, and she was hoping to get a new job at this exact company. You could hear the weight of that drive in her voice. She pointed to her passenger seat: a neon jacket. Someone on her job site had left it, and now she could return it. I laughed and agreed: “Here’s this, and here’s my resume!”

Some car came up behind us, and I waved them past. They smiled and waved back. I gave them the thumbs up. Then I stepped back from the car. She wheeled around her faded blue Prius, slapping mud and gravel into the air. Then she drove off. That was it.

I don’t know what it was about this experience, but something resonated with me about experience of life in simplicity. No service. Giving directions with landmarks. Helping a stranger. There was something literary about the whole thing—like a fleeting roadside encounter out of Kerouac. I realized that life is still simple in these unimpressive moments.

Confronting Lack of Purpose through Small Consistent Improvements

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Purpose often feels elusive in modern life. It’s easy to drift through existence, haunted by a sense of emptiness that no amount of success, pleasure, or material gain seems to fill. This spiritual gap has become a defining characteristic of our age. But what is the nature of this gap, and how can we address it?

Zima Blue: The Search for Meaning in Simplicity
The animated short “Zima Blue” from Love, Death & Robots presents a narrative that challenges our understanding of purpose and meaning. Zima, an artist who achieves cosmic fame, ultimately abandons his grand creations for the simple act of cleaning a pool. This shift speaks to a profound truth: sometimes, the fulfillment we seek lies not in the grand or the complex, but in the return to simplicity in performing simple tasks.

Credit to Rishav Ganguly

Zima’s journey is a stripping away of the unnecessary, a return to the essence of being. In a world obsessed with optimization and algorithms, his choice to find meaning in the simplest of acts serves as a powerful reminder that perhaps, in our pursuit of purpose, we’ve overcomplicated things. His story suggests that by reconnecting with the basic, often overlooked aspects of life, we might rediscover a sense of purpose that is authentic and fulfilling.

Surplus Enjoyment: The Journey of Modernity
Slavoj Žižek’s concept of “surplus enjoyment” offers a complementary perspective on the paradox of modern life. This concept refers to the excess pleasure derived not from satisfying desires but from the endless pursuit of them. Surplus enjoyment isn’t just about the pleasure we seek—it’s the insatiable drive that keeps us perpetually wanting more, never fully content. In some ways, this relentless pursuit can become a purpose in itself, though Žižek critiques this approach for its lack of substance.

But still, this idea resonates with the experiences of many who, despite achieving what society deems as success, still feel a lingering emptiness. The more we achieve, the more we realize that no external accomplishment can fill the internal void. This insight urges us to look beneath the surface of our desires and consider whether the journey itself is the ultimate goal.

This also echoes the advice of many self-help influencers on social media today, who advocate for “trusting the process” and embracing the “grind.” Their perspective, while not new, has found renewed relevance in a modern age that seeks purpose in constant self-improvement.

Filling the Spiritual Gap: A Personal Journey Toward Meaning
Reflecting on these ideas, I’ve come to see that the spiritual gap I perceive in myself mirrors the one I see in the world around me. Like many others, I’ve lived with a nagging sense of purposelessness. But instead of succumbing to it, I’ve chosen to confront it directly.

Purpose, I’ve learned, can be found in moving toward any positive direction while embracing the journey itself. I engage in this journey by focusing on small, consistent improvements in my sleep, attitude, prayer, diet, and exercise. Each week, I achieve a marginal gain, and then I repeat the process.

Like Zima, the pool I clean once will need to be cleaned again. I’ve found that the act of cleaning—the simple, repetitive tasks—can be a source of fulfillment in itself. So I, like Zima, clean the pool with enjoyment.

The Importance of Double Confirmation and Persistence in the Age of Misinformation

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In the digital age, it is more important than ever to be able to discern between truth and misinformation. With so much information available at our fingertips, it can be difficult to know what to believe. This is where double confirmation comes in.

But the internet is also a powerful way for you to make new connections. With others prone to skepticism from the risk of misinformation, it is hard to connect with others on a digital medium. Persistence is the key here.

Double confirmation is the process of verifying information from multiple sources. This helps to ensure that the information you are receiving is accurate. When you hear something, it is important to ask yourself where you heard it from. Is the source reputable? Is there another source that corroborates the information?

But it’s important to note that two sources may be supplied by one underlying source, in which case double confirmation does not apply. If opposing sources corroborate a fact, then it is more likely that this fact is true than if two similar sources do.

On the other hand, we still need to connect and communicate with others.

Photo by visuals on Unsplash

Persistence is the act of continuing to seek information even when you are met with resistance. This is important in the digital age because misinformation often spreads quickly and easily. If you have truth in your heart and wish to connect with someone else via the internet, then you need to follow up multiple times. The recipient may ignore you, but try at least seven times before giving up. Reframe from different angles, maintain professionalism, and comment on how difficult it is to make a new connection in a digital medium.

The best way to combat misinformation and connect with others continues to be in-person communication. When you talk to someone in person, you can see their body language and facial expressions. When someone sees your body language and expressions, they feel more confident in evaluating your honesty. They are much more likely to believe you when you speak honestly in person.

In conclusion, double confirmation and persistence are two important tools that you can use to combat misinformation in the digital age. By using these tools and focusing on in-person communication, you can help to ensure that you are not being misinformed while still making connections with others.

How Humans Can Ask the Right Questions Using AI

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In today’s fast-paced world, it’s more important than ever to be able to ask the right questions and get quick, accurate answers. That’s where AI comes in, specifically the AI language model ChatGPT. By using ChatGPT, humans can save time and effort in finding answers to their questions, which can result in increased productivity and efficiency.

So, what exactly is ChatGPT, and how can it help humans ask the right questions?

Photo by Artem Maltsev on Unsplash

ChatGPT is an advanced language model developed by OpenAI that is designed to respond to natural language questions with high accuracy and speed. It has been trained on vast amounts of text data, allowing it to understand and respond to a wide range of questions.

One of the key benefits of using ChatGPT is that it allows humans to quickly get answers to questions without having to search through multiple sources. This can be especially helpful in situations where time is of the essence, such as when you’re trying to meet a deadline or make an important decision. ChatGPT can help you get the information you need quickly, so you can make informed decisions with confidence.

But the benefits of using ChatGPT go beyond just saving time. By using AI to answer questions, humans can also beat their peers who don’t use AI. That’s because ChatGPT has the ability to understand context, analyze data, and make predictions. This means that humans who use ChatGPT will have access to a broader range of information and insights, which can give them a competitive edge in their work or personal life.

So, what are some examples of how humans can use ChatGPT in their work or personal life to be more efficient?

  1. Business: ChatGPT can help business professionals save time and effort in finding information related to their work. For example, they can use ChatGPT to quickly find data on market trends, competitors, or potential customers. This information can help them make more informed decisions and achieve better results.
  2. Education: Students can use ChatGPT to get quick answers to their questions related to their coursework. This can save them time and help them stay on track with their studies.
  3. Personal: ChatGPT can also be useful for everyday personal tasks. For example, it can be used to find recipes, plan trips, or get recommendations for products or services.

In conclusion, by using AI to ask the right questions, humans can save time and effort, gain a competitive edge, and make better decisions. Whether you’re a business professional, student, or just someone looking to streamline your personal life, ChatGPT can help you get the answers you need quickly and accurately. So why not try it out today and see the difference it can make in your life!

-This blog post was written by ChatGPT. The entire process took about 15 minutes to generate a response, validate the response, and format the post. This was the prompt that I asked:

Write a blog post about how humans can ask the right questions using AI, specifically using ChatGPT. Include implications that humans who use AI will beat humans who do not use AI. Note some examples of how humans can use AI in their work or personal life to be more efficient.

You should probably ignore this post: The Case for Contentment

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Not everyone needs to be ambitious. Not everyone needs to start 10 businesses, write 10 blogs, and double their income every year. It is most dignifying to enjoy a full life with contentment, rather than optimization. In fact, you should ignore this social media post and get back to enjoying what brings you fulfillment.

I’m naturally a high-energy person. I switch my attention often. I start more projects than I finish.

Social media creates virality to please our interests. We look to others as an ideal of what we should strive to be. So, I follow the ones doing too much to get inspiration and motivation. I saw success as optimizing life: do the most things in the most efficient amount of time.

But for me, this is a dangerous spiral. Social media cares about clicks and attention, not about providing fulfillment. So, I feel self-conscious about not doing enough when my energy runs out. I disparage myself when I’m selfish, lazy, or resting in contentment. Then I feel worse about not optimizing every second. Is this feeling of disappointment my purpose in life?

Photo by Andrea Leopardi on Unsplash

We don’t see the ones who don’t post on social media.

What are they up to? Are they happier? They may be resting in their contentment. At the end of the day, self-acceptance provides more fulfillment than optimization. I realized it’s not necessary to push my tendency of action toward its conclusion. Resting is good. In fact, it may be better for me.

This has changed my approach to life. I spend my attention in the present, keeping in mind the future and learning from the past. I pay attention to my health. I simplify my goals. I change my behavior based on my current state, not what I think I need to do. I accept myself when I’m feeling selfish, lazy, and content. As a result, this means turning off the noise of social media to ignore the siren’s call to do more, more, more.

Bad things are good – Seneca – OGB #8

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“Why do many difficult situations happen to good [people]?” (Seneca: Selected Dialogues and Consolations by Peter J. Anderson, page 2)

In On Providence, Seneca raises questions about hard things and answers with examples. Hard things apparently aren’t difficult: you’re just thinking about them wrong. These things are actually tests of endurance. Furthermore, these are actually necessary to become good and virtuous. Those who rise into the highest level of virtue become role models for others.

“A person can’t be a great role model without enduring misfortune.” (Anderson, 6)

Book knowledge does not produce virtue. One must perform actions of endurance through tough circumstances to gain virtue.

Seneca provides examples of role models who acted with virtue and endurance in the face of bad fortune. In fact, Fortune “used fire against Mucius, poverty against Fabricius, exile against Rutilius, torture against Regulus, poison against Socrates, and death against Cato.” (Anderson, 6). But all these people gained virtue through these tests.

According to Seneca, endurance tests are best when they are physical, rather than purely intellectual. Virtue comes through the pain of fire and torture, and the hunger from poverty and exile. But why? We could examine Seneca’s example of Socrates to discover more.

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Socrates is known for his dialectic and rhetoric expertise. We imagine Socrates taking action by conversing with others, pressing them to examine their assumptions, and driving for truth. But Seneca highlights virtue through Socrates willingly drinking poison to uphold his beliefs after being convicted of treason. Socrates had the option to concede his beliefs, stay alive, and go into exile instead of drinking the poison. But, Socrates chose to uphold his beliefs and drink the poison. So, this physical act killed him. But instead of pitying Socrates for his misfortune and bad treatment, “we ought to envy him” because he endured the ultimate test of death, “happy and willing.” (Anderson, 6).

And maybe that’s the point: death. The best kind of endurance tests have a risk or guarantee of death.

It’s important to note that killing or hurting oneself for that sake alone is not virtuous. Pain for the sake of pain itself is not useful. Rather, fighting for something and facing a physical test with risk of death will produce growth along the path to virtue.

Boxers go through pain to break their bones so that the bones will grow back stronger. Hikers ascend higher and higher summits to maximize their potential and represent the best of humanity. The wounded soldier receives the highest military honor because they faced hardship. Socrates willingly drank the poison to show that “truth without life” is better than “life without truth.”

This reminds me of the Book of Job. Although this story is up to interpretation, one point is the inevitably of difficult things happening. We can react with rebellion or acceptance when tough tests happen. However, the best of us seek out these tests to grow into virtue. The question is: who is Job? Is he the force of rebellion or the force of acceptance in the face of difficulty?

Appreciating simplicity from afar at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

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Wow, did Georgia O’Keeffe handle her color!

We visited the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM. I highly recommend seeing it. The Museum was comprehensive and detailed, showing us layers of O’Keeffe beyond her paintings. For that reason, I feel like I know her as Georgia.

I was struck immediately by the nuance between Georgia’s gradients of color, attention to detail, and growth in artistic development over time. In the museum, we learned how Georgia began with formal art education in the early 1900s before breaking into abstraction. She attended to the small things, like the exact hues and shapes of simple objects like the center of a flower.

“Pelvis Series, Red with Yellow” by Georgia O’Keeffe (June, 2022)

She painted in New York City and met her partner there, but eventually left into nature at Lake George, New York. Then, she went further. She moved her life to beautiful, rural northern New Mexico. She had to experience the world at a slower pace – her own pace. Nature “speaks” to her.

As I gazed at the northern New Mexico landscapes, I was curious: how was Georgia a representation of pure American Modernism? She was capturing the wondrous landscape the local people saw every day. But, that’s the point: American Modernism, led by Georgia as its mother, aimed to show reality in an overly-industrialized era. Painting New Mexico flora, fauna, and daily life gave modern people a glimpse into a different reality outside the confines of busy Times Square or the four walls of a factory.

Natural beauty, and also Grant and Sahyli at Organ Mountains (June, 2022)

The previous week, we had driven south to Alamogordo and the White Sands National Park. During that three hour drive, we saw so many images Georgia could have painted. Natural beauty is commonplace here. We can thank Georgia for sharing it with the American people when we needed it most.

But she did more than share it: she connected our intimate, familiar relationship with nature to the divine – going beyond what exists toward what’s possible. This is where Georgia’s art shines. She had been painting the bones of animals in a way that brought them to life. She later evolved into gazing through the holes of pelvis bones and painting what she saw on the other side. She painted divine color schemes and shapes through the lens of the simple, wild beauty in front of her. These paintings are beautiful. They remind us that even the daily sunlight can be divine when viewed through the lens of “slow,” “compassion,” and “appreciation.”

She captured what sunlight should be: appreciated. She captured the shape of what “blue” would be if it were a shape.

The world enjoyed 98 great years of Georgia before she passed away in her home in New Mexico.

“Blue II” by Georgia O’Keeffe, and also some guy (June, 2022)

It’s nice when the story has a nice ending that wraps up. But, that’s rarely the case. Art mimics life, and life mimics art. So, both moves on. The way to subvert American Modernism is to subvert Georgia O’Keeffe and her art. One way to do this would be to pretend to paint a landscape that isn’t a landscape. Or represent the shape of “blue” but paint it “red.”

I have to respect my contentious to subvert such a great artist as Georgia. Because although we need to appreciate her work, we need to see it as foundational but not the end. We can always extend, expand, condense, abstract, or even subvert the great works of our time. We must. Because that’s what Georgia did.

Georgia O’Keeffe photo looking like the badass she was (June, 2022)

Are weak people humble?

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Is humility weakness? Are weak people humble?

If you’re great, shouldn’t you be proud of that? So, are great people not humble?

It’s not quite that.

Humility is a respect, trust, faith, and admiration for the future. Humility is the force that lifts up bricks and places them higher. Humility is a deep understanding that my current self is not as good as my future self could be. Tomorrow could be better.

Non-humble people are as great as they’ll ever be.

But humble people only get greater.

Photo by Igor Kyryliuk on Unsplash

An exercise of gratitude: I barely survived the Zumbro 50 Mile run

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Hi John, thank you so much for your hard work to put on the Zumbro race. I was a first time 50 Mile finisher and I barely made it. What a brutal course! It broke me absolutely sideways.

[Strava activity here]

On the start of the second lap, just after cresting the first hill, just before 5am, the light and darkness started to vibrate and I began to hallucinate. I had to stop running to re-center myself. I couldn’t run without hallucinating again. For 4 long, slow miles, I beat myself down. My self-talk was a downward spiral of negative. I was walking slowly.

I was giving up.

I was going to finish the 2nd lap, get into my car, and drive away without telling anyone.

Eventually, I waddled to the first aid station. The volunteer told us we still had time to finish. We could do it if we just kept moving forward. I realized that I could still make it if I just walked the remainder of the course… for 11 more hours. The sun started to rise. At the top of that next hill, I suddenly got mad. I cursed the course. How dare Zumbro punch me back and think it had won? I stamped my feet, threw a tantrum, and screamed into the woods that I would beat Zumbro just to spite it. I kept going.

11 long hours of hiking later, I sprinted as fast as I could across the finish line. A volunteer handed me a coke. I collapsed into a folding chair and started to cry. I bawled my eyes out, convulsing with agony and relief and gratitude that I had entered the darkest place earlier that night for those 4 miles. I had decided to give up. But my legs had just kept moving forward.

Thank you to the volunteers, thank you to you, and thank you to all the other participants. Every single runner that passed me wished me good job and good work and good luck. There was no way I could have finished by myself.

Thank you for pushing me to grow beyond my limits.

Credit to Mike Wheeler here