The Invisible Hand is Real (It's Physics)

The Invisible Hand is Real (It's Physics)

Let's Get Something Straight

Stop thinking about the economy like it's a machine. It’s not a clockwork universe that you can tinker with, pulling levers and expecting predictable outcomes. That’s the kind of thinking that gets us into trouble. The kind of thinking that leads to central planners, bureaucrats, and so-called experts telling you how to live your life, what to buy, and how much to pay for it. It's bullshit.

The economy isn't a machine. It's a living, breathing organism. It’s a chaotic, messy, and beautiful system that organizes itself. Adam Smith called it the "invisible hand." He was onto something, but he didn't have the scientific language to describe it. Now we do. It's called far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics.

I know, I know. That sounds like a mouthful. But stick with me. I’m going to break it down for you in a way that’s easy to understand. And I promise you, by the end of this post, you’ll never look at the world the same way again.

The Problem with Your Econ 101 Textbook

Your college professor probably taught you about supply and demand curves. They probably drew a neat little ‘X’ on the board and told you that’s where prices come from. That’s the equilibrium point. It’s a nice, tidy theory. And it’s completely wrong. Or at least, it’s woefully incomplete.

The real world doesn't operate in a state of equilibrium. Equilibrium is death. It's a state of maximum entropy, where nothing happens. Think about a cup of coffee. When it’s hot, it’s in a far-from-equilibrium state. There’s a temperature gradient between the coffee and the room. That gradient is what allows you to experience the coffee’s heat, to smell its aroma. As the coffee cools, it approaches equilibrium with the room. It becomes lukewarm, then cold. It becomes uninteresting. It becomes… dead.

Life, all of life, exists in a far-from-equilibrium state. We are open systems, constantly taking in energy from our environment (food, sunlight) and using it to create order and complexity. We are fighting a constant battle against the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy, or disorder, always increases in a closed system. The universe is a closed system. But we are not.

I remember the first time I really grasped this concept. I was in my early twenties, and I was reading a book by a guy named Jeremy Rifkin called "Entropy: A New World View." It blew my mind. I had always thought of the world as a place of order and predictability. But Rifkin showed me that the universe is actually a chaotic, messy place. And that’s a good thing.

Because it’s out of that chaos that all the interesting stuff happens. It’s out of that chaos that life itself emerges.

Forward-Looking People vs. Backward-Looking People

This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we separate the Forward-Looking People (FLPs) from the Backward-Looking People (BLPs). BLPs are the ones who are constantly trying to control the system. They are the central planners, the regulators, the ones who think they know what’s best for everyone. They are trying to push the system towards equilibrium, towards death.

FLPs, on the other hand, embrace the chaos. They understand that the world is a complex, dynamic place. They are adaptable, resilient, and creative. They are the entrepreneurs, the innovators, the ones who are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. They are the ones who are driving human progress forward.

The endocannabinoid system is the body’s master regulatory system. It’s what helps us adapt to stress and maintain homeostasis. It’s what allows us to live in a far-from-equilibrium state. When you consume cannabis, you are stimulating your endocannabinoid system. You are, in a very real sense, making yourself more adaptable and more resilient. You are becoming more of an FLP.

I’ve seen this in my own life. When I was younger, I was a BLP. I was afraid of change. I wanted everything to stay the same. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to embrace the chaos. I’ve learned to be more adaptable and more resilient. And I’ve become a much happier and more successful person as a result.

The Takeaway

So what’s the takeaway here? It’s simple. Stop trying to control everything. Embrace the chaos. Trust in the power of self-organization. Be an FLP, not a BLP.

And for God’s sake, stop listening to the so-called experts who tell you they have all the answers. They don’t. Nobody does. The best we can do is to create a system that allows for the maximum amount of individual freedom and experimentation. A system that allows for the invisible hand of the market to do its work.

That’s how we create a world that is more prosperous, more peaceful, and more just for everyone.