Life is mathematics. Everything we do, everything done to us, everything we sense or feel or respond to is math. Every aspect of our existence can be explained by equations. Sometimes these equations are simple. Sometimes they are as complicated as fuck.
Sometimes, the equations overwhelm us.
If BHB needs to limit her caloric intake to x, how much of f can she eat without having to resort to e. (X=f-e). Put another way, if BHB does e for 30 minutes each day, how much f can she eat before putting on more weight? (X< f-e@30m).
This is just the simplified version. I'm not counting in fat content of the food, various nutrients, metabolism levels, or any of the other number of complex factors that play into this.
Broke Betty has $1400.00 for the month. Her rent is $750.00, her utilities are $355.00. The rest has to cover food, gas, and other bills. She has $250.00 on her Discover card before she maxes it out and $150.00 on her Visa before she maxes it out.
An adult female flea can lay 50 eggs per day. If BHB's cat has 45 fleas on it, and goes into four rooms of the house, how many fleas will be infesting the house within 4 weeks? If BHB has four cats going into five rooms and each cat has 45 fleas on them, how long before BHB's brain explodes into tiny pieces? How many fleas can feast off of the tiny bits of brain?
Of course, you can't let the math get you down. One of the best things about being human is that we can fight the math around us with our own math. For every pound of fat we might gain, we can fight back with another walk or one less serving. For every impossible budget, we can fight back with smart shopping and frugal decisions. For every flea, there is a flea comb, a vacuum, and dish washing liquid and water in a plate.
I'm not going to suggest that everything we encounter in life can be solved. We all know that isn't the case. A lot of the time though, there are at least some solutions. They may not be the ones we want. They may not be the easiest to handle. In the end though, they might keep us from sinking under the weight of the rest of reality's math.
In fact, the math can and should be our ally in most situations. After all, math is factual. It's rational and creates order out of what we may otherwise view as chaotic hell. Math doesn't offer opinions or criticisms. We may shade the actual math or facts with emotions, opinions, and the like, but the math isn't doing it. It is there to merely present the situation without comment.
And when we can take a step back and view the problem for what it is, just a rational set of facts that need to be worked out in our favor, then life becomes easier. Instead of looking at losing weight as "I have to lose so many pounds before I am at a healthy weight and it's hard and I can't do it," we will simply focus on the facts. "A healthy weight is x and I have to lose y to get there." From that point, it can be broken down into manageable pieces.
We can't escape the math. It's there whether we like it or not. It follows the impartial rules of the universe and, again, there is nothing we can do about that. At the same time, the fact that math exists and that it follows rules of logic isn't something that being done TO us either. We can allow that math to overwhelm every situation we are in, or we can study it until we find a way to work with and around it.
The beautiful thing is, once we learn how to work with the math, it really does work for us.
In fact, the math can and should be our ally in most situations. After all, math is factual. It's rational and creates order out of what we may otherwise view as chaotic hell. Math doesn't offer opinions or criticisms. We may shade the actual math or facts with emotions, opinions, and the like, but the math isn't doing it. It is there to merely present the situation without comment.
And when we can take a step back and view the problem for what it is, just a rational set of facts that need to be worked out in our favor, then life becomes easier. Instead of looking at losing weight as "I have to lose so many pounds before I am at a healthy weight and it's hard and I can't do it," we will simply focus on the facts. "A healthy weight is x and I have to lose y to get there." From that point, it can be broken down into manageable pieces.
We can't escape the math. It's there whether we like it or not. It follows the impartial rules of the universe and, again, there is nothing we can do about that. At the same time, the fact that math exists and that it follows rules of logic isn't something that being done TO us either. We can allow that math to overwhelm every situation we are in, or we can study it until we find a way to work with and around it.
The beautiful thing is, once we learn how to work with the math, it really does work for us.
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