Coming to a sober view of the world climate and politics is basically impossible except for broad sketches because we are entering a period of extended entropy. Some pundits express this as “out of control”, “everything has to change" or "fragmented”. What I like about ëntropy” is the implied theory that society is full of what has become disconnected pieces that were connected and could be again but currently are not. The danger is that being more connected also means it is hard to change and may be exceedingly authoritarian and violent.
Some personal news. I am 87 and the docs say I have to get used to getting older. I feel in fact freer than ever and finding being In Malaysia provides a great background. A few months ago I felt changes in my energy level and sought a medical opinion. After some blind hunting on two continents, it was discovered through an MRI that I have a heart condition caused by a disease not well known, amyloidosis, which is a condition where the bone marrow produces proteins in a distorted shape that lets them cohere to the surface of organs that they come in contact with, slowly isolating the organ. The main attack seems to be heart but without symptoms and also the neuronal network controlling walking. So walking has become in need of new choreography. No ability to predict how much time I have left. A month to three years is a guess.
I am ok with this and will probably find ways to mine it for metaphors about climate. So I will continue the blog and as always appreciate thoughts provided by you to give more to work with.
Dear Douglass,
Thank you for share your thoughts with us. Your reflections on the world’s “extended entropy” are as insightful and I deeply appreciate how you weave this perspective into reflections on your own life, especially given what you’re facing with your recent diagnosis.
I’m so sorry to learn about your amyloidosis and the challenges it has brought. Your openness, both in reflecting on your health and continuing to explore big-picture ideas, is a gift to readers like me.
Please take care of yourself, and know that your voice remains important to us. Wishing you comfort, strength, and renewed energy in all that lies ahead.
Thank you, Douglass.