Tuning out thermodynamics

The three laws of thermodynamics,

Seemingly obsolete— only for a scientist's use.

The laws of antiquated old men,

Long dead and gone, along with the knowledge that accompanied them.

 

The three laws of thermodynamics, the ten commandments of any budding scientist,

The skeleton of the body we call science, but a skeleton enveloped in layers of skin

 

A skeleton buried under layers of cells, tissues, skin, the body— the human being

 

The human being, a compilation of atoms and cells, acting together in unique ways to develop consciousness,

But beyond our consciousness, lies the limits of the world

The distinct laws of nature, 

The strings of the marionettes pulling at our lives.

 

Energy cannot be created or destroyed

 

The lightbulb was not invented,

But rather man decided to mimic nature,

To take natural light and form artificial light

To take energy that existed, and harness it in a unique way

 

“There are no new ideas under the sun,” my literature teacher once said,

Every idea stems from a thought already had, just rearranged in a way to makes it scream “you”

Every person’s thoughts are merely a rearrangement of thoughts already had, words that are finite 

Language that can only express so much

 

Entropy in an isolated system always increases

 

In a world of technological advancement, 

On the surface, the disorder is dissipating into a distant memory,

Data collection is compiling our world’s information,

Amazon is heralding in a new era

Where all products are on site,

An organized orderly systematic process,

 

But beneath the surface, the more that is created

The more the world inevitably becomes disordered, 

The more energy we expend for the purpose of innovation and discovery,

The more free energy floats around in the universe,

Seeking for a place to land.

And while to our naked eye,

The world appears to be a fascinating culmination of beautiful creations that we have made,

From a microscopic view, disorder is increasing, no matter what we do.

 

Energy must be inputted in order to work against entropy

 

I run through my days, expending energy in every place that I go,

Trying frantically and desperately to change, to do, to create

I try to surpass nature, to not require sleep,

To work against the laws of thermodynamics,

For these limits to not bind me,

 

But the strings of the marionette do not loosen, 

No human in this world can rid themselves of these laws that bind us— that make us part of the animal kingdom, no superior than the rest,

Though I try with all my might; these constraining laws gnaw away at my flesh

Eat away at my core

And leave me feeling helpless, being pushed around in an angry cruel world

 

These laws that were once isolated into the classroom

Have begun to haunt me and follow my every step, 

Each time I run to class, and leave a pair of shoes on the floor of my room

Each time I leave class with my desk slightly more crooked than when I walked in,

Each time I eat a meal and don’t wash my dish afterwards,

Each time I use my computer and add another document to the never-ending list of files,

I try to slow down,

To stop and to breathe,

But my mission has become defying these laws, not letting them blindly imprison me 

Like they imprison all humanity.

 

But these laws remain, 

I cannot surpass them, 

And nor should I try,

I must accept my limits, to understand the context of my life.

My awareness of thermodynamics has pervaded into my being,

But I must let it fade into the background 

Not being a protagonist in the novel

That is called “my life.”

 

I must learn to fall in love with these laws, instead of resenting their very being,

To allow them to be part of the picture of the world,

But not a defining feature.

 

Energy cannot be created or destroyed~ Entropy in an isolated system always increases~ Energy must be inputted in order to work against entropy

 

These laws can’t and won’t go away,

These rules will remain facts, binding scientists to the brutal reality of a world of yes and no,

But while these rules will not fade, I can stop staring at them with fascination,

My obsession can go away, if I stop looking in their direction.

 

And so I will begin to look away,

To notice, and observe,

To see, but not stare,

To be aware,

But not painfully so.

 

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