There was a really grumpy science teacher at my high school who liked to use the laws of thermodynamics to depress his students.
He’d ask us to imagine our favourite possession, or our favourite place, or most beloved pet. Then he’d remind us that thanks to entropy, all those things would, sooner or later, be gone. Even if your favourite place was a cliff made of permanent-feeling granite, eventually erosion would work its magic. Of course, you’d probably be dead long before the granite cliff eroded, but somehow that fact didn’t seem very comforting.
“But sir,” one brave student said, throwing her hand into the air without waiting to be called upon. “What about things you can’t see or touch, things like love and the human spirit? Those things last forever.”
“Those are creations of the human mind,” he scoffed, “and as such they cease to exist as soon as you die. There’s no reason to believe that your thoughts and emotions will do anything after you die, other than rot along with your brain.”
The student’s hand wilted, and a strange feeling of hopelessness hung over the class. Bolstered by this, he continued.
“Only two things last forever, as far as we can tell,” he announced. “Number one: atoms. Number two: energy.” He looked at us as if this were supposed to make everything okay, but by this point most students had stopped listening, their minds stuck on how temporary everything suddenly seemed.
But the more I thought about it, the more that statement sounded like the most optimistic thing imaginable. Atoms and energy are the only things that last forever. Everything is made of atoms and energy. Therefore, everything lasts forever.
I know, it’s a bit of a lame teenage realization, but it’s a strangely comforting paradox. Nothing you create will last forever. Eventually you will be forgotten. And yet, your atoms will be thrown back into the cosmic recycling bin. The tiny little pieces that make you will always be around. They have always been around.
So if you find yourself in a crappy situation, remember that it won’t last. And on the flipside, if you find yourself in a situation that you never want to end, remember that all the atoms that make up that moment will last forever.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. It starts with birds. I can’t think of a song that starts with birds that I don’t like.
2. The snare is super soft. It almost sounds like a kitten playing the drums with its paws.
3. The piano repeats three chords when you think it should be using four. The 6/4 time signature somehow makes for a looping, endless feeling.
Recommended listening activity:
Making a sand mandala.