There's a Method to the Madness (Continued)

     So if chaos to order and chaos from order is such a basic pattern, where do we see it in the real world? Well, we can see it repeated in almost every aspect of the universe. On an atomic level, it's happening constantly around us. For example if we take a hypothetical space and fill it with lots of different elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, other elements, and sufficient energy, we wouldn't be surprised to find an increasing amount of water showing up over time. At first not much, but eventually more water molecules would begin to form and gather creating pools, slowing down over time as there became less independent hydrogen and oxygen to use, until the majority of the water that could possibly form did so. As more water gathered together, some of the elements might start floating around in the water. The water now becoming the setting for other interactions to take place. Water molecules are much more complex than the individual elements of which they are made.

     If there were other elements present in the original setting (pre-water), they too may have come together to form more complex molecules. Perhaps these molecules would now be floating around the water. These become the new variables drifting around. As they float about, they will certainly run into each other and perhaps create something more complex still such as different proteins. Once enough proteins have formed, they too may run into each other forming something more complex still. And you guessed it, these more complex things may interact to become something even more complicated. If they get large enough, maybe something smaller will begin forming on them as well. They would then be the new setting for another branch of the order/chaos circle and a variable in a larger one at the same time. At each step the product of the previous stage becomes the basic building block for the following. As time progresses and the number of interactions increases, the organization of the system becomes increasingly precise or at the very least, specific.

     Even people's ideas/thoughts, on an individual and societal level, seem to progress this way. Obviously it's impossible to know exactly what was going on in the minds of different people throughout history and even in the present. Many of us aren't even sure of what's going on up there in our own minds. However, if anything could indicate what a person or people think, it would have to be their actions. So perhaps we will be able to identify the chaos/order circle in this context as well.

    Now I'm not an expert in biology or anthropology or history or anything of the sort, so what I want to do is a thought experiment using a very general understanding of human progress, in hopes of better understanding the chaos/order loop. At some point in human history, our ancestors started using basic tools such as rocks that were found. At that time, there was probably a large scale of variability with activities like hunting. Even when one found an animal (such as a deer), it would certainly escape some percentage of the time. For argument sake lets say at this specific moment in our thought experiment the deer gets away 70% of the time (pretty chaotic for the hungry hunters one might say.) As tools and hunting techniques (both things that stem from ideas of the people) became more precise, that percentage started to drop. The invention of spears ups the likely hood of a kill at close range, enhanced techniques allows people to more consistently get in range. These tools and skills remove many of the variables in the hunting game, making it more "orderly". Maybe reducing the probability of escape for the deer down to 10% or less. Perhaps eventually even killing multiple animals on every outing. With this much order, why would chaos ever return? The problem would be when human's became too good at hunting, reducing the population of the deer while simultaneously increasing the people population.

    Now order could no longer continue in the same way. Things got chaotic again as different groups of hunting people ran into each other while chasing food. Perhaps fights ensued leaving some people to go hungry. In any case, the variables in the food game started to appear again. Now that there's so little food and so much competition between people, maybe we're back to eating only 70% of the time. There was a silver lining however, because people were starting to understand how they could manipulate things in the world (like with tools) to make things easier. This sort of thinking became the basis for the push into agriculture. Some people figured out how to manipulate plants and less intelligent animals like tools for their own benefit. It turns out that this type of organization around agriculture was pretty efficient and now people did not have to fight as much as before. Fighting certainly occurred, but principally a new era of order emerged, one that we might refer to as society.

     Societies easily demonstrate this process of order and chaos time and time again all the way to the present, and likely into the future. Once we start organizing in societies we have to consider that different groups of people began progressing down different lines of chaos/order. For example, only some of the people figured out agriculture and things became orderly for a while. Eventually some of the especially good hunters, the one's who pushed all the others away from hunting, might have stumbled upon one of these agricultural settlements (which would seem food rich to nomad hunters). Hunting people would probably be more advanced in the ways of confrontation seeing as they still hunted regularly. They would cause chaos in the settlements, taking food by force. This chaos would cause a new order to be necessary. Maybe organizing people into farmers for food, and guards to protect the farmers and food. This causes chaos for nomads when they can't eat. This may cause the nomads to organize with other groups, or more sneakily so they could overcome the settlements again, causing chaos. This may lead to cities building and organizing wall structures to keep the nomads out. Once walled towns or even cities begin to appear, the chaos/order pattern repeats as the people develop increasingly more specific/precise ideas about what's fair or just, throwing society into chaos until it can be ordered in accordance to the new ideas.

    A few other quick examples where one may notice this pattern is 1) this blog, as I stumble through my varying thoughts they seem round about. Over time, in weeks, months, or even years they will become increasingly organized. Its even possible that they become the basis for a book, simple cartoon drawings, a play, a thesis or simply a lens through which I can view the world around me. 2) Any business or organization/event. At first it is very chaotic, until it is better understood. Then once it's boiled down to the necessities, one can super organize it into a true production. With businesses we see this in the form of expansion. A store starts with one, only sort of organized location. It improves its performance and organization, and if successful enough becomes two. Each unit organized the same way, however the boss feels more chaos learning to organize two places at once. When that is better organized, maybe three or four more locations will come to exist quickly, and the process continues. 3) Any sports team/dancers/acrobats or group activity. Playing charades with friends a few weeks ago I noticed at first, the topics varied greatly. People had a hard time coming up with good subjects. Performers were awkward and unsure as well. Over time, the topics became more relevant, performers more concise and turns went increasingly quick. It started chaotic and as we all got better, an order started to develop.

     There must be countless other instances of this, so if anyone has any examples of chaos to order that they notice, and would like to share, I would love to hear of it. Before entering this topic, I was unaware of how chaotic it was going to be. I see now that it may be necessary for me to return to this idea at a later date to more concisely organize it. Thank you, again, to anyone who has made it with me this far. I am honored by your time spent here more than I can possible convey.