Entropy! (A change within...)

One of the concepts which has always fascinated me,irrespective of the great technical details involved,is that of entropy.

We were first introduced to it in our thermodynamic classes. And in otherwise very dry,mechanical environment, wherein wondering about their sudden positive to negative mood swings, I have started hating all the 'P, V, H, I' etc, this 'S' thing brought my wandering mind back from the surrounding into the system!
                                                    Our prof. was explaining about a well arranged pack of cards. Once you start shuffling it, no matter how many times you go on shuffling it, the cards would never get arranged in their initial order.Such a stupidly simple thing if observed superficially. But turned out to be of great significance. Perhaps a very very fundamental rule obeyed by the whole universe.A tendency towards increasing disorder, measured as entropy.

Universe from its start is tending towards more and more randomness.

That is what is the 'nature' of the universe. And that was what we studied in physics.

Nature supports only those processes which involve a negative free energy change. Formulated by Gibb's equation, for a process to be spontaneous, either the enthalpy change should be negative or the entropy change should be positive. i.e, increasing randomness favors a process.

On the contrary, with organization, entropy decreases, as in case of man made machines, accumulated entropy has to be dissipated as heat for the machine to perform further work.

In chemistry, again the similar thing.

If there is an overall shift towards increased randomness, more likely the reaction is spontaneous.

If a large molecule breaks down to many smaller ones,more chances of the reaction being spontaneous.

If, a shift towards randomness is the rule of the nature, what is there to prove it?

One exception...

'LIFE!'

Where the whole discussion of entropy takes its most interesting form.

Though this might not be technically too accurate,somehow,the whole essence of life lies in breaking this very fundamental rule.

Every 'living' form has the basic tendency of getting organized.

Every cell is bounded by a membrane. Thus separating itself from the surrounding. Not just separating, but maintaining a totally different environment inside, than the surrounding.

It is the primary condition. Being in equilibrium with the surrounding simply means the end of life. And for perpetuation of life there is an ever reduction of entropy within that life form.

It maintains its different concentration- decrease in entropy.

It requires to build complex molecules from simpler ones- decrease in entropy.  
 More organized its structure gets- more decrease in entropy.

And then, more knowledge it acquires, more decrease in entropy.

A very nice technical term- 'Information Entropy.' One can find bytes and bytes and bytes on Internet explaining something which actually lies at the heart of every byte of information. For arranging totally random things into an order, meant to convey some meaning,i.e,information, there is reduction in entropy. As in case of letters arranged to form meaningful words, then sentences, and then a whole story!

And for this reduction in entropy, there is investment of energy. So we need more and more energy to create and store more and more information.

Now we are continuously  getting more and more organized. And accordingly, there is reduction in entropy.

More developed a living form is, more are its powers of perception, their interpretation, and then application. We, being human, are constantly perceiving our surroundings. Our magic brains interpret these perceptions to generate information. To decrease the entropy.

The thoughts flickering in our minds at tremendous speed, are actually meaningful cascades formed in the brain in fraction of second.

More and more we understand the universe, more and more we are disobeying its basic rule. How contradictory in itself!

But if one tries to look at it this way-

From where did life come into existence? From nature!

From where does it obtain its energy for survival?

From nature!

If we say we are gaining information, about what it actually is?

Again nature!

Nature has somehow violated its own rule, created us, and is providing energy for our perpetuation, simply in a quest to understand its own meaning.

Being in homogeneity with nature could not have served the purpose.

We have partly separated ourselves, perhaps for a better understanding!

Noah's Arkmates...

That was a work of sheer genius...

Such delicate, subtle threads, perfectly interwoven. Even each one of the numerous rectangular sections formed were equal in size... I actually tried counting those tiny geometrical excellence. Like a GMAT problem.

The scenario in fact was something like this...

After mom has finished her tenth recital of our daily sacred chants regarding how useless I have turned out lately and how cleverly I manage to skip those daily duties assigned to me; I finally decided to abide this time.

Our 'Bai' being on leave, I was supposed to handle the balcony section in our clean up mission. Taking charge with that broom in one hand the first thing I encountered was this fully woven octa-, no deca-, no even more than that- hedral spider web in its full integrity. My immediate instinct was to do away with it in a single stroke of broom, but something held me back.

It was not like those half built half destroyed kinds we encounter most of the times and consider inauspicious, but it was complete in its actual geometric form. I could not help getting amazed...

It has happened to me previously. This time it turned out to be a spider but otherwise it could have been a disciplined row of ants, some conspicuous nest of perhaps not so conspicuous bird, those cuddly plays of puppies, enchanting motion of fish in the tank, or even for that matter few wild trees growing naturally and forming beautiful patterns on their own...

These ever charming life forms surrounding us somehow always perplex me.

These are treasures of simple joy.

That radiant green of plants is so assuring! I almost start feeling suffocated in places devoid of that hue. Even a well furnished royal room is so dull without a potted plant of some kind. A twinkle of liveliness emerges in the surrounding with these green gestures.

And the cherry on the top is a Fluffy, Rocky, Bruno or Lucy, Pussy, Kitty etc. in their full swing jumping or just loitering in that green shadow. It just completes the picture, bringing along a homely contentment.

Few occasions have become so much associated with such things that mind just cant imagine life without such forms.

We relate first monsoon breeze with clouds,lightning, and that divine scent from clay. But whats all this without that rhythmic "dur daraw dur" going on in nearby ponds? Sometimes in chorus, or else solo.

And if you have ever keenly noticed it, among many stereotypes, there exists most of the times a single special voice. A bit low pitched but more intense. Coming at almost regular interval. Ah! What a magic flavor it adds to that already enchanting atmosphere.

We have all kinds of people entering our house through the door. But few special guests are those who prefer the window instead. Few invited and others self invited. Later chiefly involving those pigeons! For many years now they are trying to use our window grill as their maternity home,and previously even have become successful for few perpetuating generations.

And that crow, ever respected as a form of one of our ancestors, has its fixed breakfast and lunch timings at our kitchen window. Like a royal guest he receives his offerings with an aristocratic face. . .

This was around our stereotype mumbaian flat, but we have got a second home also, near our native place. After that house was built, we tried to cultivate a small garden. Irrespective of all the neglect between our occasional visits, it survived. And when our plants flowered for the first time, the heart was over flooded with joy. But when I saw those butterflies fluttering around, as if bringing nature's approval, it was sheer exaltation.

We can never say which things will matter for us and to what extent during different phases of life, but these fluttering, jumping, sprouting, blossoming things always surround us. Busy in their own world, often unnoticed by us, yet always amazing!

When life starts getting dull, just have a look around...

There are plenty of them, ready to entertain!

Enjoy(?) doing nothing...

There is a stage of life- 'just out of the college and fumbling in the world...', I mean swimming in the cocktail of uncertainties, confusions, dreams n realities!

There was a time, sitting somewhere in college crevices, the future seemed to have some golden hue. Don't remember exactly when touched the ground, but those days of swift floating now have acquired a silver lining. Then everything was an exclamation, now replaced by a question mark.

Why the ratio of age and dreams is inversely related... Does age makes you wise or your increasing wisdom ages you...

I feel my greatest sorrow at the moment is being unable to believe in fairy tales anymore. That was not just entertaining yourself but something much more than that... With the knowledge that nothing like a fairy exists, also comes the realization that many other unfair things do exist.

Still, standing at the demarcation of all the life's beauty n duty, can still hear humming of few unsung dreams... Uncertainty has its own beauty... Haziness offers suggestions...if we are keen enough to make out!