One Year Since "Taming Chaos"
Hello Universe 230
August 27 2025, 00:35 AM CET
Exactly one year ago, I went through an important life experience. Now that I'm on the other side of all that's happened since then, it feels important to look back at that day and reflect on it. Thus, shared below is a repost of what happened then, the poem I wrote that day, and my reflections on it. Here we go dear reader, below is a repost of last year's poem and its introduction.
(Repost Begins)
Tuesday, 27th August 2024, 01:00 AM IST -
As I write this post, I'm putting together an event to celebrate a happy occasion with my family. Said event has been a long time in the making, and it holds a lot of meaning. But along with the excitement, there's trepidation and anxiety, as my father, mother, niece, and I are all down with viral fever, while my city is overwhelmed by rains and all the streets are dangerously water-logged.
When this post hits your inbox at 07:00 PM IST, I should be in the middle of this event. Hopefully stronger, happier, and full of joy. Surrounded by the people I love and adore.
Dealing with obstacles when trying to accomplish something meaningful puts one in a philosophical state of mind. For me, it took my thoughts to the dichotomy of entropy and harmony.
The universe, according to the second law of thermodynamics, is always going to have steady or increasing entropy. It will inevitably become more chaotic as time goes on.
On the other hand, there's life - a symbol of order and harmony. A tree rises from the ground and creates an ordered system to attract water in form of rain to its surroundings, and then sucks that water up against gravitational forces to nurture its body and grow large. It creates seeds which will eventually become more trees. A human being puts together other human beings and builds technology, medicines, and monuments - all through the power of ideas and imagination.
Over time, life adapts, harmonizes, gets destroyed, finds a way back - eventually, it sustains.
The nature of the universe is entropy and chaos. The spirit of the universe is life and order.
As I sit here today, writing this post to you, I can't help but feel stung by the chaos of illness and natural disaster. But within me lies the universal spirit, the torch of life. And that spirit tells me -
“It's ok. You can tame this chaos. You are alive.”
That’s what today’s poem is about.
Alright, poem starts in 3... 2... 1!
I wandered through a realm of strife, where entropy seemed set in stone. When lo! I spied a spark of life, a seed of order had been sown. From barren soil it dared to rise, its roots embraced the lifeless ground. It stretched its arms towards the skies, and whispered with a voice profound: "I am the spirit of this realm, against its nature I ascend. And even if I am condemned, I will not yield, I will not bend." And so, I closed my eyes and thought: 'Some things may work and some may not. There may be chaos and decay, but life will always find a way.' Yes life will always find a way, and everything will be okay. For joy is intertwined with strife, and that is just the way of life.
(Repost Ends)
The first thing that struck me when I re-read this post recently was what I'd forgotten about that time - I didn't even remember that my family and I were suffering from viral fever when this happened. I have vivid visual memories from that time but somehow this detail just escaped me.
The second thing I felt was gratefulness of not having succumbed to all these obstacles, some of which were actually terrifying. Thanks to the love and support of my family, everything eventually worked out that day, we had a successful event (which was my engagement btw), and everyone went back home safe.
And the third and final thing I'm feeling is wonder. Wonder that I have this piece of writing that captured my raw thoughts as these events unfolded, and that I can look back at it a year later and come face to face with how I felt back then. It is nothing short of a blessing to have this little corner of the internet where I write to you dear reader, and over the last four and a half years of writing Hello Universe, I've grown, lived, and seen the world right in front of you. Thanks to this little newsletter, I can see myself better. Thank you.
That's it for this week, I'll see you again next Tuesday!
Every hurdles in your life, makes you stronger than before.
It is amazing that everything worked out for you and you got engaged, too,...it is the way of the universe as you wrote. I saw something happen years ago, when I spoke to the universe. I said, "Universe, Send me someone." I had been alone for years. Less than two hours later, when I walked in my door, the phone was ringing." I answered and spoke with the caller... and agreed to meet... down at my former home with my grown children present. The Universe sent someone who was a disciples of Dr. Norman Walker ...who I had been following for years. We both didn't drink, smoke and were vegetarians. The Universe heard me and sent someone who was on the same path...I learned a lot from him, because he had followed Dr. Walker's information for 35 years...He was the healthiest 50 year old I had ever seen. We kept in touch for years. The last time we spoke was 3 years ago... He was peddling around San Pedro, CA., on a bike at 92... Then a neighbor of his let me know that he took off for Tahiti to live with one of his children.