In and out of randomness

A previous essay ‘I feel, I write,therefore I am’ ended with the sentiment, ‘I feel, I read, therefore I am’. Prior to drafting the new essay I had to decide on a book. The title of the new essay ‘in and out of randomness’, although not all that random, was based on the book ‘The Black Swan’ by N. N. Taleb. The book has nothing to do with the same name movie of Natalie Portman fame. A black swan event can be positive or negative, good or bad – it is deemed highly improbable, yet it causes massive consequences. The book is a fascinating, history-heavy account of how unpredictable today’s world is and how utterly random events are. Taleb writes more from a broad world historical perspective, but I wonder if a similar argument could be applied to one’s own life events…those that one considers to be monumental or life altering? In retrospect, we tend to tell ourselves a story and things or events seem to have occurred linearly and the outcome for that event was predictable based on that linearity. What Taleb seems to argue is that the linearity is a ‘narrative fallacy’ - that our minds tend to create simplicity and attribute causes to effects eagerly, when in fact there is immense complexity and intricate interactions of variables. Thus, complete unpredictability, randomness, chance or coincidence is much more likely than pre-determination.

So why the lengthy preamble? Well…I’ve been thinking about the events in my own life over the past few years that have indicated to me more and more that there exists a ‘journey’…and since that realization, I’ve felt that my journey, part spiritual part physical, has proceeded in leaps and bounds with major ‘events’ happening more recently. What if all of the above events that I take to be monumental or evolutionary are purely coincidental or random (being in ‘mediocristan’ per Taleb), without any role that I could have played in ‘molding my destiny’ as I tell myself at times? Conversely, what if the events are black swans, i.e. highly improbable or unpredictable in occurrence, yet massively consequential in terms of outcomes (being in ‘extremistan’, per Taleb)? What if life’s really all about randomness? Then there cannot be a clearly defined path that, in principle, is dynamic or evolutionary. I cannot ‘reach out to the universe’ in times of need and just receive what’s needed, because that would imply a non-random existence.

What if…what if…what if….??!! Being prepared for black swans and seizing them (the opportunities) is what Taleb seems to be preparing the reader for. I haven’t reached that part of the book because I couldn’t make myself do so….

In my own journey over the recent past so many events occurred that were monumental and validating what I was envisioning or preparing myself for. Things have happened that I find hard to explain in empirical or practical terms - and this is coming from a biomedical scientist who lived and breathed hypothesis testing, evidence-based protocols, and empiricism (less so now!). In fact, my recent journey has indicated that there is spirituality (as distinct from dogma) and uber love that defies religion, ethnicity, intellect and monetary worth. This realization, albeit trivial for some, makes me semi-conclude for now that there is non-randomness and things or events are not all co-incidental. Being in that contemplative mode is pleasurable. And having the liberty or luxury of writing in this space is even more so. The reflectivity inherent in both reading and writing has helped me in an inner journey that is shared with my fellow travelers. Now, dear reader, if you find my thought process and this piece utterly random, then I’m hopeful that the phrase borrowed from a teacher, “I find all facets of life quite fascinating and all flights of imagination very interesting”, will bail me out.

[from rambling of an itinerant]