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anti-finite antifinite
what happens when we realise we are finite and dynamic
Everything is finite, but some things are here for longer than others. The Earth is finite, but the period between forming and collapsing is so vast it appears infinite to human life. Decisions are finite, but some remain relevant and applicable for longer than others.
Human physical life is finite, truncated by birth and death. The life span for an individual is hopefully 80 years, and only for a limited period in this span can we lift our thinking above short-term needs to consider a purpose for a better world, something beyond and outside of our own finite limitations. Legacy, being a better ancestor, a business or a collective memory of an individual, can survive beyond a lived-life. As the actual memory of an individual fades, their worthy or noble purpose and enterprise with meaning, if updated and current, will remain.
Mayflies have the shortest lifespan on Earth, lasting 24 hours; human life appears infinite to them. Yes, pre-mayfly nymphs can be about for two years, but the only purpose of the mayfly stage in the entire insect lifecycle is reproduction, which is very time limited. In that tiny period of being a Mayfly, the insect has to fulfil a single purpose and create something less finite from finite — the next generation. All living biological things need to optimise for a single purpose at some point in their life patterns, fundamentally for long-term survival, with adaptation being part of a short-term strategy to support long-term thriving (note: not control or domination).
At the opening of my new book, I said, “Purpose (individual) emerges from the combination of your profession (what you are good at crafted by nature and nurture), passion (what you find easy and love doing) and what makes the world better.” Reproduction is where nature provides an overwhelming and obvious singular purpose which may only align for a short period; hence purpose has to be more dynamic. Single purposes such as survival make us finite, much like data does, as we will unpack.
As one species adapts to a new environment aligned with its survival purpose, it changes the environment for the others, who now have to adapt. Species need to adapt because something else…
