Hillclimbing

Hello Universe 272

There's this concept of “hillclimbing” when it comes to training an AI model. Weights adjust slowly through several iterations- in a successful training run, growing steadily towards a goal as a signal tunes the effort and the climb.

Image sourced from this Microsoft Research Paper whose title is surreptitiously similar to today’s poem and inspired it too!

I think it applies to us people as well. There are several such sayings and anecdotes in different cultures that represent the concept of hillclimbing. One such saying that comes from my culture is “कर्म करो, फल की इच्छा मत करो।”, which roughly translates to “Do your action, don't think of the outcome.”

My mother used to state this quote to me often. Inspired from impactful religious teachings, it was indeed her philosophy, especially to deal with tough times, but also to manage herself during the good ones. The outcomes you are seeing are not the goal. The actions are. The process is.

I inherited this worldview both from her and my father. And I can relate to hillclimbing as a result. Keep going steadily, iteratively, towards an overarching goal that goes all the way to a preferred asymptote of infinity. There might be more, or you might have plateaued, or you might have even receded. Just learn, and try again.

That's what today's poem is about. It is also inspired by the thoughts I felt on reading something written recently by fellow Substacker Judith Dada called europe2031.ai.

In a writing masterclass, she, along with her expert collaborators charts out the potential future for an entire continent that results from inaction. The renewed bias for action that this Asimovesque¹ science fiction inspired within me also contributed majorly to today's poem.

Finally, this poem was also motivated by some of the coolest people I see around me each day. I see people who want the world to be better. Who want to have a voice and hand in where it goes. Who push themselves to learn when they need to. And who collaborate with intent and compete with heart. These are the people building the future, their own and the world's. I feel grateful to be a part of their reality.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

---

Maximising, minimizing,
things keep on falling and rising.
Really slow or instantising,
time keeps on materialising.

Rollercoasters everywhere,
up and down, or stabilising.
Keep it all / openly share,
go on then, keep on deciding.

All the way throughout the universe
or just in your nearest sighting,
Easy or insanely difficult,
time keeps on materialising.

And that is how if time does go,
with change in every moment or so.
How will you find what does not change?
What will be your new bet? Your range?

What will you pick to do instead?
How will you choose? Be free? Be paid?
Be hot? Be ice? Be sugar? Be spice?
Roll all your dice? Be smart, be wise?

Do all the things you thought you'd do?
And then, what's next? What's nice? What's new?
Hillclimb your way towards the peak?
Or plateau off? Be strong? Be weak?

I don't know how to make the choice 
don't know if you do either.
But what I've learned is - life is best,
when you try not be a cheater.

When you try to pick what makes you build
a process for the climb.
Whether your step be up or down
north / south or left or right.

As long as you collaborate 
and also compete with heart.
As long as you keep trying to
find in each moment a new start.

A start of all you want for you
and also for the world.
A start to push you forward to
where your flag is unfurled.

Go make your choice for that "future you"
whose life is made today by you.
For your choices travel forward to them,
and their memories travel back to you.

---

That’s it. Thanks for reading edition 272 of Hello Universe. Keep climbing your hill and enjoy the views.

Today’s poem also made me wonder- what hill are you climbing, dear reader? Write me a comment about it!

On the way out, here is another beautiful video about hillclimbing. I felt especially connected to the adventure that Emergent Garden goes on in this video because I have also made a fractal explorer of my own, although imperfect and limited in its depth. You might remember the poem I wrote about it.

Enjoy this beautiful adventure.

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!

1. *Asimovesque because he had a skill to read the inner truth of human existence and apply it through science fiction set in far-off futures. Judith and team have taken the inner truth of human existence that inaction leads to adverse outcomes and applied it to science fiction in a nearer future. And that future might already be arriving faster than we think. That’s why I think that a motivation and inspiration to act is the right way to create a different future. One that has potentially better outcomes but they are not the goal. An amazing, well made, action-filled process of hillclimbing could be the goal.