Sunday, November 30, 2014

Heisenberg was right


Lets talk quantum. I have never across a physics arena so vague and interesting as quantum mechanics yet it is the only theory that can explain our universe so perfectly. Lets talk about Werner Heisenberg who stated that 'It is impossible to determine the position and velocity of a particle simultaneously with certainity'. You will have to sacrifice one for the other but not both. In other words 'It is impossible to be completely certain'. No doubt, restating the theory makes it seem less like physics and more like reality because it is.

You start a project, you have to deal with the uncertainty of whether it will deliver or not, we go through tests unsure of whether or not we'll pass, most important of all we are faced with the uncertainity of whether or not we'll live to face the next day. No matter who we are, we cant help but deal with uncertainity. Sometimes it comes in the form of impostor syndrome, sometimes in the form of fear, sometimes it is simply not coated at all.

You think you are alone in this but you are not. Not even Albert Einstein was sure he would change the world. For 2 good years he had to deal with the uncertainty
of whether or not he would get a job. The founders of Google Larry Page and Segrey Brin admit that they didn't have a mega company in mind when they started. Stephen Hawking has been dealing with uncertainity of living ever since he was diagnosed with the motor neurone disease in 1963. Uncertainity is almost part of human nature.

Richard Feynman, who by the way  came up with some quantum theories,  once wrote, "I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics" .He was wrong, well, sort of. Quantum mechanics is just the reality we choose to ignore because a lot of noise comes disguised as reality. Uncertainity shows up the moment we enter planet earth, is it a reason to stop us  from reaching our potential? No, it is actually a reason to strive on since that's how life becomes amazing. In short, whatever you do, you will either pass or fail but do it anyway.


Monday, November 17, 2014

The big secret.


So, I went hiking last week, which I normally do but this time I would like to share this experience because I learnt some lessons that just reminded me as you might guess, that life is amazing. So  there is this building on top of the Rhodes memorial, Table Mountain national park very high up called the King's blockhouse , I've always wanted to reach there since I see it everyday from school , plus it sounded like a challenge. So I grabbed me, some sneakers,  a bottle of water and off I went. After a couple of hours, I was back to planet earth with a couple of lessons.


It all starts with that first step.
Just like everything in life, considering we were all born knowing nothing. I didn't how to get to the top, I just knew that I had to go up that was all I needed. To accomplish anything all you need is the commitment to do it and to take that first step.

Never give up, ever.
Life isn't perfect, nobody is perfect. That should be enough reason not to give up. Once you have a clearly defined goal, you will be tested as to how badly you need it. But that is no reason to give up. As long as you are still alive there is something for you,so hang in there.


Enjoy the journey.
You can't really tolerate the hard blowing wind against your face or the fatigue and muscle soreness that comes from hiking unless you really enjoy it. You wont live through the disappointments and failures in your way unless you enjoy what you do. So yeah, enjoy what you do, it might be the only string keeping you alive.


Take risks.
Who knows what will unfold from it? The world not to mention the universe is too big to stay comfortable. As Nelson Mandela, put it, "It always seems impossible until it is done."

That's it folks, I just uncovered the secrets of the universe from 3 hours of hiking. Definitely worth it. Maybe you should try it too!Go make life more amazing.





Monday, November 3, 2014

Hey ,what you do matters!

   

Newton was a genius, but he had no social life. He did good for humanity but he couldn't make a family. She's good but she isn't charming enough. He's smart but he can't do this or that.  Sounds familiar? Welcome to the real world, a world where people are constantly looking for the 'buts'. It could be for the right reasons or just for conversation starters, but truth is we don't want to be reminded of these buts especially if we already know about them. We all have them , the buts , they are called weaknesses, and when you get so good at something, people will go looking for them. I'm here to tell you something else. What you do matters.It doesn't matter whether you can't you can't do tight jump or you make coffee for a living. Whatever it is that you do for the better, it matters , even when no one appreciates it.

      If you don't know who Carl Sagan is, I'm gonna fill you in. He was a research scientist in the field of astronomy and he wrote one of my favourite books, The Pale Blue Dot. His mission was to show  how astronomy can make us better people by considering how small we are in the universe. He knew best how to explain physics in layman's terms. Carl Sagan was actually dubbed  the world’s best known scientist in the late 20th century.  With every great introduction, comes a 'but', so here it is. The pursuit of his intellectual interests left him no time for other activities, you know the things normal people do, Sports, Photography, Musical instruments, movies, family, none of it. He got that pre-occupied with research that nothing else mattered.  Some would say he had so much ego, some would say he lacked discipline, but I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Ambition is good, afterall ,we all want to leave a mark on this world.

     We all know the story of Sonya Carson, the woman who raised the world's best neurosurgeon ( Ben Carson)and one of the best mechanical engineers (Curtis Carson) as a divorcee and housekeeper. Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to make a difference. Maybe you'll need resources , the brain and all, but these things come naturally after you make it clear to the universe that you have a mission. Like I always say, the Universe responds to that.


The 'buts' we hear from all around us, makes us feel small. So we  start concentrating on what we are not than what we are. Well here is the moral of my story, you don't have to be superhuman to do great things, and extra ordinary things come from ordinary people who make extraordinary decisions. You just have to be good at what you love and apply it to the fullest potential. Stop worrying about what people will say. We have a tendency to think that the next achievement will somehow erase the 'buts'. Sorry to say this but it won't. As long as you are still alive, there will always be challenges and with life comes opportunities to improve. So whatever you do, just do it for you and humanity. You know why? Because what you do matters. Keep making life amazing.