Non-linearity

Everything has non-linearity, which we mistakenly assume to be linear, and give attributions to some aspect of that linear curve as if that alone has the power to change the trajectory. But, when you think about it in non-linear terms, no single activity or incident seems responsible for the next state because, at any point, there are infinitely many aspects simultaneously super-imposing on that one moment — similarly, this moment on the next and so on. Further, if you think about it, albeit abstractly, the notion of the next disappears because the very idea of one preceding the other has an inherent bias of causality linked to it.

It is fair for someone to wonder that it is just semantics. But, it is essential to keep in perspective the impact language has on thought and vice versa, the feedback loop where each reinforces the other inextricably. Even in communication, there is non-linearity. Although communication with the self is not as complex as communication with the world, the neurons introduce this non-linearity in thought by their very design, bringing in memories — both short and long-term, emotions and live sensory inputs.

Why is non-linearity significant in the real world? How does the awareness of this non-linearity impact us? First, it dispels some age-old myths frequently found in the self-help industry that thrives on establishing causality and suggesting a path to something. In doing so, it frees us by displacing that idea of a perfect path with the knowledge that irrespective of the inherent inequality, all states are equal. Thus one can be indifferent to all of them. This is because no matter what the state is at any given time, there is always a path with non-zero probability in the direction of one’s choosing. To me, this is one of the purest forms of freedom and peace.

Everyone has some deep longing. A suffering, if you may. The starting point of that suffering is immaterial, and neither is the end, for that matter. We might delude ourselves into thinking that eliminating every such suffering is the purpose of our lives efforts — the paradise lying in wait. But on the contrary, every excitement we feel concerning our movement, no matter in which direction, is purely based on that suffering. What matters is the suffering and that it exists because that suffering is the only thing that introduces a non-linearity, consciously within the self.

The conscious mind generally doesn’t like non-linearity because, paradoxically, the very thought that arises out of non-linearity cannot comprehend it. It can understand its effects, primarily emergent in nature, only later. Thus, the suffering is a forced mechanism that introduces non-linearity. And that’s a good thing because any exponential movement (positive or negative) only happens in the presence of such a non-linearity. Otherwise, we’ll either stagnate or move so slowly that it gives a sense of stagnation. Understanding this and coming to terms with the utility of suffering and its inevitability for momentum gives us the courage to pursue the freedom and peace that the idea of non-linearity presents.