GLOSSARY

The fifth Huna principle, meaning "to love is to be happy with." Aloha is not just a greeting or a sentiment—it's a state of being in alignment with the universe. It represents the sharing of life energy. To have Aloha is to be so full of life that you overflow into the lives of others. It is the antithesis of scarcity and neediness.

The process by which living systems modify their structure and behavior in response to environmental changes. In the Far From Equilibrium framework, adaptation is not merely survival—it's the fundamental mechanism of growth and evolution. True adaptation requires stress, discomfort, and the willingness to change. It's how dissipative structures maintain their far-from-equilibrium state.

One of the two primary endocannabinoids produced naturally by the human body. The name comes from the Sanskrit word "ananda" meaning bliss or joy. Anandamide binds to CB1 receptors in the brain and plays crucial roles in mood regulation, pain modulation, appetite, and memory. It's part of your body's internal cannabis-like system.

A concept coined by Nassim Taleb describing systems that don't just resist stress but actually get stronger from it. Beyond resilience (which bounces back), antifragility thrives on disorder, volatility, and stressors. Living systems are antifragile—they need challenge to grow.

The one-way direction of time from past to future, as determined by the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Unlike the equations of physics which work equally well forwards or backwards, entropy always increases, giving time its direction. You can't unscramble an egg. You can't un-age. The arrow of time is why nostalgia is a trap and why Forward-Looking People thrive.

The primary energy currency of the cell/body. It powers metabolic processes and is constantly recycled. The human body produces roughly its own body weight in ATP every single day but does not accumulate it—it cycles it.

A chemical reaction that serves as a classical example of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. It demonstrates how order and complex oscillating patterns can emerge spontaneously from chaotic chemical systems without a central designer.

A critical threshold of instability where a system can no longer maintain its current state and must evolve into a new structure or collapse into chaos. At this point, small fluctuations can drive the system down completely different paths. It is the moment of choice for a complex system.

A person whose primary orientation is toward the past. BLPs resist change, cling to tradition, fear the unknown, and define themselves by what they were rather than what they could become. They fight the arrow of time instead of flowing with it. BLPs see the world as a zero-sum game and respond to novelty with fear rather than curiosity. This isn't a permanent identity—it's a state anyone can shift out of.

A state of apparent disorder from which self-organization and new order can emerge. In complexity science, chaos is not meaningless randomness—it's a source of creativity and novelty. Life thrives at the edge of chaos, where there's enough order to maintain structure but enough chaos to enable change.

The most abundant G protein-coupled receptor in the brain. CB1 receptors are found primarily in the central nervous system and are activated by both endocannabinoids (like anandamide) and phytocannabinoids (like THC). They regulate neurotransmitter release, affecting mood, memory, pain perception, and motor control.

The second major cannabinoid receptor, found primarily in immune cells and peripheral tissues. CB2 receptors play crucial roles in regulating inflammation, immune response, and tissue repair. Unlike CB1, activating CB2 doesn't produce psychoactive effects.

The emergent property of systems with many interacting components that exhibit behavior not predictable from the parts alone. Complexity arises at the edge of chaos—not too ordered, not too random. Living systems are complex adaptive systems that maintain themselves far from equilibrium through continuous energy flow.

A system that maintains its organization by continuously dissipating energy. Coined by Ilya Prigogine, dissipative structures exist far from thermodynamic equilibrium and require constant energy flow to maintain their form. You are a dissipative structure—stop eating, stop breathing, and you'll quickly reach equilibrium (death).

Molecular biologist, cannabis researcher, and the intellectual founder of the Far From Equilibrium framework. As a professor at the University of Colorado and president of Cannabis Science Inc., Dr. Bob developed a unified theory connecting thermodynamics, the endocannabinoid system, health, and consciousness. He coined the terms FLP and BLP and was decades ahead of his time in understanding cannabis medicine.

The boundary zone between order and chaos where complex systems exhibit their richest behavior and greatest adaptability. Too much order leads to rigidity; too much chaos leads to dissolution. Life, creativity, and evolution all thrive at this critical transition zone.

The phenomenon where complex systems exhibit properties that cannot be predicted from or reduced to their individual components. Emergence is how "more becomes different." Consciousness emerges from neurons, life emerges from chemistry, markets emerge from individual transactions. It's the universe's way of creating novelty.

A complex cell-signaling system discovered in the 1990s that plays a crucial role in regulating a wide range of functions including mood, sleep, appetite, pain, immune response, and memory. The ECS consists of endocannabinoids (like anandamide and 2-AG), receptors (CB1 and CB2), and enzymes. It's the biochemical mechanism that helps maintain your far-from-equilibrium state—your body's homeostasis system.

A measure of disorder or randomness in a system. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy in an isolated system always increases over time. Everything falls apart. Everything decays. Life is a temporary, local reversal of this trend—we create order by exporting disorder to our environment. Understanding entropy is understanding why change is inevitable and why fighting it is futile.

A state where all forces are balanced and no net change occurs. For living systems, equilibrium means death—it's when you've stopped processing energy and reached the same temperature and chemical composition as your environment. Life exists far from equilibrium. The pursuit of "balance" and "stability" is often a pursuit of death.

The state in which living systems exist—far from the thermodynamic equilibrium that would mean death. Life maintains itself by continuously processing energy and exporting entropy. This isn't just a scientific concept—it's a philosophy. It means embracing change, seeking growth through challenge, and understanding that stagnation is the real enemy. You are a far-from-equilibrium system. Act like it.

A person whose primary orientation is toward the future. FLPs embrace change, seek novelty, adapt readily, and define themselves by what they're becoming rather than what they were. They flow with the arrow of time instead of fighting it. FLPs see the world as positive-sum and respond to the unknown with curiosity rather than fear. This isn't a permanent identity—it's a state anyone can cultivate.

A circular process where the output of a system is fed back as input, either amplifying (positive feedback) or dampening (negative feedback) the original signal. Feedback loops are how systems regulate themselves. The endocannabinoid system operates through retrograde feedback loops to maintain homeostasis.

A pattern that repeats at every scale, exhibiting self-similarity across different levels of magnification. Fractals are nature's way of packing maximum complexity into minimal information. Your body, the universe, and consciousness itself exhibit fractal properties.

A mental state of complete absorption in an activity, characterized by energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment. Coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In the Far From Equilibrium framework, flow state represents optimal functioning—when you're processing energy and information at peak efficiency. It's the subjective experience of being a well-functioning dissipative structure.

The tendency of biological systems to maintain internal stability while adjusting to external conditions. Often confused with equilibrium, homeostasis is actually a dynamic process—constantly making adjustments to stay in the optimal zone. The endocannabinoid system is a key homeostatic regulator. Homeostasis is not about staying the same; it's about staying alive.

An ancient Hawaiian philosophy and spiritual practice that shares remarkable parallels with far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics. Key Huna concepts like Mana (life force/energy), Pono (balance/flow), and Aloha (love/connection) map directly onto scientific principles of energy flow, adaptation, and emergence. The Hawaiians understood intuitively what physics later proved.

The first Huna principle: "The world is what you think it is." Reality is subjective and shaped by your perceptions and beliefs. Your thoughts don't just describe reality; they help create it. If you change your mind, you change your world.

The body's response to injury, infection, or stress. Acute inflammation is protective and necessary for healing. Chronic inflammation, however, is a driver of most modern diseases—from heart disease to cancer to depression. The endocannabinoid system plays a crucial role in regulating inflammation. Understanding inflammation is understanding why lifestyle matters.

The property of processes that cannot be undone. Entropy production makes processes irreversible—you can't unburn a match, unbreak an egg, or unlive a moment. Irreversibility is what gives time its direction and makes the past truly past. Accepting irreversibility is the first step to becoming an FLP.

The second Huna principle: "There are no limits." The universe is infinite, and we are all connected. Separation is an illusion. Any limits you experience are self-imposed beliefs or temporary constraints, not absolute truths. Kala also posits that everything affects everything else.

The third Huna principle: "Energy flows where attention goes." You get what you focus on. Sustained focus channels energy and creates manifestation. If you scatter your attention, you scatter your power. Makia is about disciplined, directed attention.

In Hawaiian philosophy, the spiritual life force or power that flows through all things. Mana can be increased through right action and diminished through wrong action. In thermodynamic terms, Mana is the energy flow that maintains far-from-equilibrium systems. High Mana = optimal energy processing. Low Mana = approaching equilibrium.

The fourth Huna principle: "Now is the moment of power." The past is a memory; the future is an imagination. Power only exists in the present moment. You cannot act in the past or the future; you can only act now. Manawa teaches us to be fully present to access our full potential.

The practice of engaging fully with life without clinging to outcomes, possessions, or identities. Not to be confused with detachment or apathy. Non-attachment is the psychological equivalent of flowing with the arrow of time—participating fully while accepting impermanence. It's the mindset of the FLP.

A transformation from one state of organization to another, often occurring abruptly at a specific threshold. In social systems, this looks like a paradigm shift or revolution. It is the physical manifestation of a system reorganizing itself.

A measurable improvement in health or behavior not attributable to a medication or treatment. The placebo effect demonstrates the power of belief and expectation to create real physical changes. It's evidence that the mind and body are not separate—what you believe affects your biology.

The seventh Huna principle, translating to "effectiveness is the measure of truth." It posits that the validity of any belief, model, or action is determined solely by its practical results. If it works, it's true; if it doesn't, it's not.

Belgian physical chemist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on dissipative structures and non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Prigogine showed that order can emerge from chaos, that life exists far from equilibrium, and that irreversibility is fundamental to the universe. His work provides the scientific foundation for the Far From Equilibrium framework.

The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties and adapt to challenging circumstances. Unlike antifragility (which gets stronger from stress), resilience returns to baseline. It's the ability to bend without breaking, to absorb shock and spring back.

A form of neural communication where signals travel backward from the receiving neuron (postsynaptic) to the sending neuron (presynaptic). In the endocannabinoid system, this acts as a critical feedback loop to regulate neural activity and maintain homeostasis.

The law stating that entropy in an isolated system always increases over time. Everything falls apart. Everything decays. Order requires energy to maintain. This isn't pessimism—it's physics. Understanding the Second Law is understanding why change is inevitable, why growth requires effort, and why life is precious precisely because it's temporary.

The process by which order arises from local interactions between parts of an initially disordered system, without external direction. It is how life and complexity emerge from inert matter. Self-organization is the mechanism of dissipative structures.

Order that emerges from the interactions of individual agents without central planning or control. Markets, languages, ecosystems, and consciousness are all examples of spontaneous order. It's how complexity arises from simplicity, how "more becomes different." Spontaneous order is the universe's creative principle.

The body's response to challenge or demand. Eustress (good stress) promotes growth and adaptation—exercise, learning, healthy challenges. Distress (bad stress) exceeds our capacity to adapt and causes damage. The key insight: growth requires stress. Comfort zones are death zones. But too much stress breaks the system.

An ancient Chinese philosophy centered on living in harmony with the Tao (the Way)—the fundamental, underlying natural order of the universe. Taoism shares profound parallels with far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics: both describe reality as a dynamic flow rather than static objects.

The branch of physics dealing with heat, energy, and their transformations. The laws of thermodynamics govern everything from engines to ecosystems to economies. In the Far From Equilibrium framework, thermodynamics isn't just physics—it's a lens for understanding life, consciousness, and human potential. Everything is energy. Everything flows.

The most abundant endocannabinoid in the body, present at much higher concentrations than anandamide. 2-AG is a full agonist at both CB1 and CB2 receptors and plays crucial roles in immune function, pain modulation, and neuroprotection. It's one of your body's primary tools for maintaining homeostasis.

The observation that cancer cells preferentially ferment glucose into lactic acid even in the presence of oxygen (aerobic glycolysis). This inefficient energy production allows cancer cells to prioritize the creation of biosynthetic building blocks needed for rapid, unchecked growth.

A Taoist concept meaning "effortless action" or "non-doing." It refers to a state of alignment with the natural flow of the universe, where actions are taken without friction, struggle, or forcing. It is the art of sailing rather than rowing.