The Entropic Effect
The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy increases over time. In short, objects, systems, and many other disciplines inch from order to chaos. Sometimes at an imperceptible glacier’s pace. The length of time this takes place varies within the systems, but the movement happens nonetheless. It is an absolute.
We’re seeing it happening right now on various fronts. Domestic politics. International politics/foreign relations. Climate change. Ocean currents (apparently). Finance (including, but not limited to, the debt ceiling negotiations – which itself can be filed under political as well). Wars. It all can be summed up in the word entropy.
The United States has been around 247 years and you have to wonder in what form it’ll be around in the next 50-75 years. There are many reasons for the country as a whole slipping into chaos, but one of the top reasons can be attributed to the dip in the level of experienced leadership. There doesn’t appear to be anyone next in line to assume the mantle and fill that void. Any of the names bantered about often bring their own baggage of chaos and controversy.
Quality leaders, real ones, don’t usually ascend the political ladder – the wealthy and powerful do. That was true in 1776 as well as 2023. Nothing there has changed. The difference has been those rich and powerful, land owning Founding Fathers were also strong and insightful leaders. Probably the best the world had seen up into that point in time. However, over time, the strong leadership has slowly evaporated – particularly in the last 30 years. The march of entropy is a slow one, and we’ve appeared to arrived at a state that strong leaders are drowned out by short soundbites, and sarcastic social media posts. Torn down by quips and unfounded questionable references. Technology in this context has played a huge role to the detriment of the country as a whole – specifically in terms of the a fore mentioned social media platforms. Yes, but I still read them too – I’ll let you figure that part on your own.
In the 1950s, when Joe McCarthy accused everyone and their uncles of being a communist, technology was in it’s infancy. Yes those hearings were televised, but TV hadn’t been around long enough to create a political base. Even more notable, the American people believed credible, well researched, informative journalism. If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America. Those days are gone. Truth no longer sets anyone or anything free because it doesn’t fit into the nice silos of short clips. Even more trepidation, truth has been supplanted by innuendo and noise. Drowned. Especially when at odds with certain agendas.
Which brings me back to the main point that effective, strong leadership can no longer break through this avalanche of noise, and most often deliberately targeted and scuttled when contrary to those pushing their own narrative. Only the powerful own the bull horn. Strong and effective leaders can also be rich and powerful, but not all the rich and powerful are strong leaders – no matter how much they brim with self-confidence. Which is why as a country, as a society as a whole, we slip further into chaos. We continue that march towards disorder. The second law remains true, and of course, don’t expect an end to this. The migration of entropy only worsens. It never reverses, and cannot be stopped. From that perspective it’s not unlike the Niagara River. It took 10,000 years for Niagara Falls to be located where it is today – some 7 miles from where it originated. The cliffs of the falls eroded slowly over time carving out the gorge in its wake. The erosion and the regression of the Falls further up river still cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed. This is the crossroads of entropy. The tipping point. This march towards a universal or global chaos most likely can be slowed, but it would entail a fundamental shift in how humans react to their environment, and quite frankly I don’t see where there is time for this to happen. The erosion is happening at a rate faster than can be repaired. It took generations for us to have gotten to this point, and it’ll take generations to fix – and time is not an ally. It takes a village, but the problem is the village isn’t interested. Perhaps even more sobering, the village is looking to entrench itself further in order to prevent future action to reverse or slow down the erosion.
The biggest mistake is underestimating the level of entropy of the village – which seems to be a trait of many. No matter how much you think the level of entropy is – it’s higher. The level of discord within the modern culture grows exponentially. When actual indisputable facts are discredited by individuals outside of the field of expertise the level of entropy has increased another few notches, and we slide deeper into the pool of chaos. We’re not yet drowning in entropy, but we are up to our earlobes.Why am I writing all of this? I haven’t the foggiest idea. I suppose it’s to remind myself it is all inevitable. Entropy is inevitable. In an odd kind of way this is the natural order of things. Of life and universe. So I might as well sit down with a bowl of popcorn to watch.