Being born into this world not being able to speak, or walk, or do anything for ourselves, one would think that the most difficult part of our lives would be the mastery of these vital abilities; however, this assumption is horrendously flawed. It would seem that the older we get, the better we are at buttoning shirts and feeding ourselves, but the worse we get at effectively handling problems. Our predicaments slowly morph from the simple, clean cut 2 + 2 = 4 to far more complicated and daunting calculus equations with variables beyond comprehension, imaginary integers, and transcendental numbers representing unrealistic quantities. They get messy. They get hard. They take more time and delicacy to solve and there is sometimes even a possibility for there to be more than one correct answer. Then as we progress and grow, the solutions to these problems do not only become a dividend for just ourselves anymore. Our actions and decisions have a nuclear fall out effect on everyone else in our lives as well. These people, their emotions and well-being become exponents and square rooted divisors which add to the stickiness of the problem, requiring more thought and extra necessary steps, only to still arrive at a quadratically irrational conclusion that leaves some factors unresolved.
Some people are born problem solvers. Lucky them, these mathematicians can look at any problem, weigh the options, determine the best choice with the least collateral damage, and carry out the solution flawlessly. But what about those of us who are better at reading than math? My advice? Close your eyes and circle A). B). C). or D). The nice thing about mathematics is that it is consistent. The fundamental principles we learned back in the 1st grade are still applicable now. 3 x 3 will always be 9. 721,985 ÷ 5 will always be 144, 397. Pi will always be 3.14159265358979323846… piece of cake, or pie rather. As the equations become more complex, all of our previous knowledge extends over into the new to help us form the conclusion, the same way life experiences help us conquer the next life crisis. The more we familiarize ourselves with the intricacies, the easier problems become for us.
So we continue to solve our problems, trying all different sized and shaped pieces to fit into the puzzle until we stumble upon one that fits. Trial and error. In an equation, x can represent an infinity of numbers but there is always one that fits, we just need to have the patience and faith that we'll find it.
1 comment:
If only life were so simple as digits and equations. For some of us, the world of text and equation, rules and method, is much more comforting than the complex ever-changing one in which we live. People can be the most fickle, indecisive creatures, prone to mood swings that can change the equation at any given moment. In life, there are no givens. Everything can be a variable. So what can you expect? Expect to be surprised.
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