The Physics Nobody Taught You

The Physics Nobody Taught You

School taught you that force equals mass times acceleration. A neat, clean, predictable little equation. It’s the physics of a world in a box, a world of billiard balls clicking and clacking in perfect, sterile order. But let me ask you something: does your life feel like a game of pool? Is it neat? Is it clean? Is it predictable? Hell no. Your life is a chaotic, messy, beautiful, terrifying storm. And the physics they taught you in school has absolutely nothing to say about it.

They taught you the physics of dead things. They didn’t teach you the physics of life. They didn’t teach you the physics that actually explains consciousness, why you feel the way you do, and why you can’t seem to get your shit together. It’s time to fix that.

The Problem: You’re Looking for Balance in a Universe That Craves Chaos

You’re told to find balance. Work-life balance. A balanced diet. A balanced portfolio. It’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard. Balance is death. Equilibrium is a state where nothing happens. It’s a stagnant pond covered in algae. It’s a corpse. Life, real, vibrant, evolving life, exists at the edge of chaos. It exists in a state that scientists call far-from-equilibrium.

Think about it. A star is a giant, continuous explosion, held together by its own gravity. A forest is a constant battle of life and death, growth and decay. Your own body is a raging furnace of metabolic activity, constantly breaking down and rebuilding itself. None of these things are in balance. They are dynamic, evolving systems, constantly adapting to a changing environment. They are far from equilibrium. And so are you.

The problem is, you’ve been conditioned to seek comfort, to seek stability, to seek the predictable. You’ve been taught to be a Backward-Looking Person (BLP), someone who resists change and clings to the past. You build your life around routines and habits that make you feel safe, but in reality, they are caging you in. You’re so afraid of the storm that you’ve locked yourself in the basement, missing the beautiful, terrifying, awe-inspiring spectacle of it all. You’re so focused on avoiding failure that you never take the risks necessary for true success. You’re so obsessed with maintaining the status quo that you’ve forgotten how to grow.

But the universe doesn’t give a damn about your comfort. The universe is a relentless engine of change, governed by the second law of thermodynamics. And if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward. There is no standing still.

The Application: How to Surf the Wave of Chaos

So how do you apply this to your own life? How do you stop being a BLP and start being an FLP? How do you learn to surf the wave of chaos instead of being drowned by it? Here are a few ideas:

• Embrace the suck. Life is hard. It’s supposed to be. The challenges, the struggles, the heartbreaks – these are the things that force you to grow. They are the friction that creates the heat that allows you to self-organize into a more complex, more resilient, more interesting version of yourself. I remember when I was first starting my company, Weedmaps. I was broke, I was scared, and I had no idea what I was doing. I was working 18-hour days, sleeping on a friend’s couch, and eating ramen noodles for every meal. It was, without a doubt, the hardest time of my life. But it was also the most alive I’ve ever felt. I was on the edge, and it was terrifying, and it was exhilarating. I was forced to learn, to adapt, to evolve, at a rate that I never would have thought possible. And I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. So don’t run from the suck. Lean into it.

• Feed your ECS. Your endocannabinoid system is the key to your ability to adapt and evolve. But in the modern world, most of our ECS’s are starved. We’re not getting the right inputs. We’re not eating the right foods. We’re not getting enough sunlight. We’re not moving our bodies enough. We’re not connecting with each other enough. We’re not having enough sex. We’re not laughing enough. We’re not playing enough. We’re not doing any of the things that our ECS needs to thrive. So, for the love of God, feed your ECS. Eat a whole-foods diet, rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Get at least 20 minutes of sun on your skin every day. Move your body in ways that feel good to you. Make time for the people you love. Have more sex. Laugh until you cry. Play like a kid again. And yes, if it’s right for you, consider incorporating cannabis into your life. It’s a powerful tool for stimulating the ECS and promoting a state of flow.

• Stop trying to control everything. You can’t. The universe is too big, too complex, too chaotic. The more you try to control it, the more it will control you. The more you try to impose your will on the world, the more you will suffer. The key is to let go. To surrender to the flow. To trust that the universe is not against you, but that it is you. You are a part of this chaotic, beautiful, self-organizing system. And your only job is to play your part. To be the most authentic, most alive, most you version of you that you can be. This doesn’t mean being passive. It doesn’t mean giving up. It means being so attuned to the flow of the universe that you can act in harmony with it. It means being so present, so aware, that you can see the opportunities that are all around you, and you can act on them with courage and conviction.

The Takeaway: Your To-Do List for a Far-From-Equilibrium Life

1. Stop seeking balance. Seek dynamism. Seek growth. Seek the edge of chaos.
2. Embrace entropy. It’s not your enemy. It’s the engine of creation.
3. Feed your endocannabinoid system. It’s your body’s master regulator and your key to adaptability.
4. Be a Forward-Looking Person. Embrace change. Adapt. Evolve.
5. Let go of control. Surrender to the flow. Trust the process.

Closing

This is the physics nobody taught you. This is the physics of life. It’s not neat. It’s not clean. It’s not predictable. It’s messy. It’s chaotic. It’s beautiful. And it’s the only physics that matters.