Newton’s Second Law of Thermodynamics states that total entropy or disorder of the universe always increases. Put another way, highly organized systems will devolve into disorder without the input of work. That’s why my hot morning coffee will always cool as heat dissipates unless I add energy to reheat it. Or in the case of my daughter’s room, it may start off clean after weekend tidying effort but will be in a disarray by Friday.
My marriage with my daughter’s mom started with constant intentional effort. But without attention, effort and other commonalities that all require energy to be added, relationships, too, will naturally decline and drift as had happened. It’s not to say that we allowed it to happen or that all relationships will end up this way. But the recognition that natural deterioration applies to all systems including relationships. The newness or novelty (honeymoon phase) will always wear off. Without diligent, recurring, new energies, it is predictably ‘natural’ for things to dissipate.
My daughter also experienced anecdotally this law of natural decay with her friends. She has seen many friends come and go simply because the affinity with each other isn’t enough to hold them together. Add to this, the lack of motivation to put in any effort, it’s actually natural for fast-friends to go separate ways.
Sometimes, things just don’t work out. It’s only natural. What’s unnatural would be to force it otherwise.
We see this natural law being applied to everything human touches. From personal to professional relationships to larger scale, institutions, governments and social order. Without constant and necessary consideration, disorder and instability is inevitable. With few exceptions, even nature experiences this. But nature is cyclical; so, the waste and byproducts of one system is the essential resources for another. Human systems aren’t that evolved.
Even though my daughter does not have any interest in the STEM curriculum at school, she understands that nothing is static. She knows intuitively that some things are a time suck and she’ll never get out of it what she puts into it. Ultimately the perpetuation of a system that doesn’t change, adapt or grow may not be worth the energy expended.
For my daughter, she’s gained a new perspective in life. When things fail, sometimes, it’s not from a lack of trying. Sometimes, things just don’t work out. Whether it’s compatibility or purpose or whatever, it’s only natural. What’s unnatural would be to force it otherwise.
