The best traveler leaves no traces behind.
The best leader inspires without words.
A plan is perfect only when there is no plan at all.
And if the wise man closes the doors.
You will never unravel the secret.
Tao Te Ching
The Invisible Hat and the Fundamental Question of Philosophy
As a child, everyone dreamed of an invisible hat. Childhood imagination, multiplied by the lack of life experience, can generate the most exciting scenarios. As we grow up, these scenarios become increasingly realistic, leading us into less lawful and ethical territories. With an invisible hat, one could visit the bank for money. One could stop by a neighbor's in the evening. One could infiltrate a closed meeting of a foreign government.
But believe me, when you truly start possessing superpowers, all these scenarios seem uninteresting because they are actually quite boring. Why would a superhero need money? What’s going on with the neighbor is roughly clear. And at closed government meetings, most likely, the same things happen as with the neighbor, just on a governmental scale.
I stood in the night city in the middle of the street, wondering what to do next. Of course, I had some plans prepared about how I would live beyond the perimeter. They all boiled down to a more or less calm existence. All I wanted was to be left alone. You know, like Omar Khayyam:
In my modest dwelling, I am kept safe by fate,
A crust of bread and a sip of wine,
For this, I am eternally grateful to heaven,
Neither a slave to anyone nor a lord to anyone…
But now, having acquired unlimited freedom, I felt that this scenario was not to my liking at all. I wanted something more. I started sifting through all the noble goals that one could aim to achieve. After an hour of painful reflections, I came to the conclusion that there is only one task worthy of a person in my situation.
In private form, this problem can take on various configurations and formulations. Many generations have pondered over it. Numerous workable solutions have been found. But even the brightest minds have surrendered to the general form.
I thought that with my abilities, I could solve this problem once and for all in the most general way. In its broadest formulation, this task looks like this:
Go there, I don’t know where
Bring that, I don’t know what
Previously, I viewed this problem as a joke because I didn't know how to approach it realistically. Now, however, the solution started to take real shape. Most importantly, this formulation of the problem implied complete uncertainty. I became genuinely curious about what would happen next.
There, I don’t know where
The task should be solved in parts and the first part, in my opinion, was not very complicated. Especially considering the current level of information technology development. First, I needed a computer with internet access. Where to find a computer at night? I thought of the gaming club near the train station. Public transport had stopped running, so I walked towards the center.
After a while, I saw a colorful sign above the entrance to the basement. Looks like this is the right place. I was a little apprehensive about my first contacts with people because I didn't know how it would actually happen.
— Hello, I need a computer for about half an hour…
— Come in, there are some free ones a couple of tables down.
I went in, sat down at a table, and placed my fingers on the keyboard. The first thing I did was go to random.org. Within a few minutes, I had a pair of random numbers formatted as geographic coordinates.
Nervously, I opened a mapping service. What if it turned out to be in the open ocean? Or in Antarctica?! I shivered at the imagined cold. The map loaded. My destination appeared on the screen. Wow… Gelendzhik!!! The entry point was located several dozen kilometers from Gelendzhik, right on the coast. I checked the train schedule — the necessary train leaves from the station in an hour. Well, let's go, we can't waste a second.
I got up from the computer and headed for the exit. I expected someone to call out to me and make me pay. I even waved at the administrator. He smiled and waved back at me.
So this is how it works. You just need to ask politely and smile. If you do noble things while bringing joy to people, they usually don’t think about money.
It was time to test this principle at the train station ticket counters. I was about to enter the station. But then I thought, why do I need tickets? I can go straight to the train. I need to start thinking on a larger scale. Tickets, receipts, checks, money, passes. For someone beyond the entropic barrier, all these little artifacts lose their meaning.
In about ten minutes, I was boarding the train to Novorossiysk. If I thought I was on vacation, I would have to admit that the vacation was starting off just perfectly.
Young Hearts
Have you ever wondered why, when you buy a train ticket, there seem to be none available, but when you enter the carriage, there are plenty of empty seats? Whoever solves this paradox will have a monument erected in their honor at the square of three stations.
Almost the entire carriage was asleep, but one group was chatting lightly, trying not to disturb those around them. I took a seat nearby. I wasn't really in the mood to sleep yet, and I thought I might overhear something interesting.
The group consisted of four young guys and one girl. Of course, at first, I noticed the girl. She said almost nothing, just occasionally laughed at jokes and slightly fixed her hair.
Sometimes there are groups where the number of girls is about the same as the number of guys. Usually, there’s one more guy than girl. In such groups, nothing special happens, other than that after some group interactions, they gradually break off into pairs.
And then there are groups like this one. They are much more interesting. From the outside, it seems that the girl is completely out of place. But don't be fooled. The entire effort of bonding and maintaining the morale of this team rests wholly on her delicate shoulders. And she does this extraordinarily well, mastering speech, body language, and an understanding of male psychology.
Don’t be deceived by the girl's modest appearance either. When it comes to a real competition for a man’s heart, this quiet one will easily outshine any glamorous fashionista, alternative girl, or socialite of varying calibers.
After observing the girl for a while, I listened in on the conversation, trying to understand what the guys were talking about. It became clear from their talk that they were former classmates, and a year ago they all got jobs at the factory and are now going on their first vacation together.
— Can you imagine, the manager of workshop 17 is an idiot. He made the timekeeper in Excel keep track of all the employees' absences for smoking or going to the bathroom.
— Why idiot? It makes perfect sense if they're not working at all.
— Idiot because it's in Excel. I'm saying — let's install card readers — everything will be registered automatically. They seemed to agree. In two months, we're launching the project. server — We have a similar story in production automation. In workshop 12, they installed new machines — but there's no increase in productivity. The deputy workshop manager made the normers track how much time the machines are working and how much they're not. Well, they asked me — maybe there's something we can come up with. I said — of course, we can. Sensors for the machines and cameras will arrive in a month. We're going to implement a system to monitor the percentage of equipment utilization.
— And I was sent to the design office for three months — so to speak, to study the situation. Well, I’ll tell you, it’s a mess over there. I really don’t understand how they work there. I’ll probably suggest implementing a planning and execution control system. Then there will at least be some order.
— Yes, this is the power of computers. Guys — it’s good that we're programmers. If it weren't for programmers, everything would have sunk into idiocy, disorder, and chaos.
I listened and memories flooded back to me. I recalled the time when I came to my first job, full of hope. My youthful heart was ready to fight. I remembered. And the wheels of the train counted the joints on the rails. Fatigue took its toll. To the rhythmic clatter of the wheels, I dozed off.
A Programmer's Nightmare
I dreamt of a vast field covered in grass. In the middle of the field, there was a dirt road. An unremarkable man was walking on the road, while a truck loaded with planks was coming towards him.
— Hey, boss, where are you taking those planks?
— What’s it to you?
— I’d buy them from you. I need to build a pen for livestock.
— And what kind of livestock do you have?
— Just sheep of different breeds. I'm going to shear the wool.
— Yes, sheep of different breeds. I will shear the wool.
Wool is good. So I'll fetch you as many boards as you want. Do we have the money?
The money will be available after the job is done. You understand — modern economy...
Alright, where should I unload the boards?
The driver unloaded the boards and was about to drive off. But he slowed down and asked from the window:
Listen, you probably need a crew to put up a fence. My brother-in-law is in the fencing business.
Yes, of course, let them come. There’s work for everyone.
A few days later, workers of various trades were busy in the field. Some were building the fence. Others were making gates. Some were erecting a barn. Others were laying paths. A separate crew was weaving barbed wire around the fence and running electrified wires. An unremarkable man sat nearby, watching. Then he stepped into the middle and said.
So, guys, it seems almost everything is ready. Come tomorrow for your pay.
Then he called over a fellow who was installing a power transformer.
Ivan, hi. I've heard your nephew makes good whips. Could you get me a couple? The livestock has been quite unruly lately... When you come by for your pay tomorrow, you can hand them to me. And also, stop by Pakhomych from Karyukino. He promised to get me a lock from China — one that’s a pain to open.
On the appointed day, all the local men came for their pay. There were about four hundred of them. They stood in the middle of the pen and admired the work of their hands. The pen looked magnificent. They had put so much effort into it, along with their knowledge, skills, and soul.
A man named Ivan placed a modern Chinese lock and a couple of locally made whips in front of the unremarkable man.
A couple of guys from the second row jokingly shouted.
The pen is ready, but where are the sheep?
The unremarkable man didn’t respond. He just closed the gate, hung the Chinese lock on it, and weighed the heavy whip in his hand.
Where do the Lilliputians live?
I woke up feeling as if I had been struck on the back with a whip. Apparently, the train had slowed down, and I felt the lift of the sleeping space digging into my back. I turned onto my other side and peeked out from behind the partition.
The company has already ended the discussions and set up sleeping arrangements. I glanced at the guy who was closest to me. He was sleeping peacefully because everything was going well in his life. He had a promising job and was going on vacation with a girlfriend whom he believed would ultimately choose him as a life partner. At work, he was already well-regarded and actively participating in several pilot projects.
He does not know that when the pilot projects are deemed successful, everything he has implemented will come back to him like a boomerang. He will be writing plans in the planning system and tracking his time against those points minute by minute. He will follow a schedule for breaks to smoke and go to the restroom. An activity tracker will be running on his computer, while an infrared camera will be shining in his face.
I recalled a phrase I came across on the internet that resonated with me. If I’m not mistaken, it was said by the creator of the Perl language.
The greatness of a person is not defined by the number of people he has compelled to act according to his desires and goals, but by the amount of freedom he has given to others.
From the vantage point of this phrase, it becomes clear that all rigid corporate management systems consist of dwarfs, or perhaps even microbes. Fully satisfied with the clarity and simplicity of this thought, I fell asleep and did not wake up until the next morning.
For the red flags
The train reached Novorossiysk without any incidents. At the station, I immediately got into a taxi. Throughout the ride, the taxi driver and I chatted about our difficult lives. When we arrived at the village I needed, he didn’t take any money from me. Any hitchhiker knows — if the conversation was interesting, you can skip the payment.
From the village to the endpoint of my journey was about five kilometers. With a racing heart, I headed toward the coastal zone.
Here it is — the sea. Seeing the endless blue expanse always sent shivers down my spine. The line of the horizon, where the sea almost imperceptibly meets the sky, is the oldest and most natural model of infinity, and before infinity, the mind bows down.
On the village beach, vacationers were sunbathing and swimming. The sun was already tilting towards the evening, and a chill was starting to set in. The vacationers eagerly caught the last rays of sunlight. I approached the edge of the beach and saw a sign. 'Caution, possible landslide. No entry'. A rope with red flags extended from the sign in both directions. I grunted in satisfaction and boldly stepped towards the wild coastline.
The most beautiful sunset
A couple of kilometers later, I sat down to rest a bit. The evening sun was almost at the horizon. It was setting right into the sea. An extraordinarily beautiful sight. Pink and scarlet plumes spread out in all directions from the large, deep red sun disk. A wide beam of light rippled from the horizon to the waves. It was slightly stormy. A salty wind mixed with sea spray blew in my face. I enjoyed taking in this beauty.
And suddenly I felt it. Something was disrupting this perfect natural idyll. On the beach, pressed by a stone, lay a thin, colorful brochure. I moved closer and picked it up. The brochure also depicted a sunset. Along with the sunset, there was also the sea and a garden of green trees. People in white clothes were walking serenely through the garden. Children in colorful clothes were playing among them. The brochure had the headline 'What Happens After Death?'.
I shifted the brochure to my right hand and raised it to eye level so that the sunset on the brochure was aligned with the real sunset. That's how I thought it would be. Despite the excellent quality of foreign printing, the real sunset was a hundred times more beautiful. Satisfied with this small experiment, I buried the brochure deeper into the pebbles as I couldn't find a way to get rid of it. I looked around the beach — everything was normal now, and nothing disturbed the natural harmony.
Everyone who believes in better worlds inevitably faces a rather serious paradox. They cannot explain to others, and most importantly, cannot explain to themselves the simple thing. Why don’t they go to these better worlds right now — so to speak, not putting this off for later.
In attempts to find some logical justification, the most elaborate theories and practices are born. I would say this is an entire genre. They might simply say it's a sin, without much explanation. They might talk about the cosmic process of soul cultivation. They could invent that they have returned from nirvana to help everyone else get there as soon as possible.
Naturally, all this nonsense is invented for a single purpose. To linger just a little longer on Earth — the most beautiful place in the universe.
Well, I don't know what
In the south, twilight is short. By the time I reached the place, the sun had already set and it was quite dark. Approaching the spot, I noticed a strangely shaped natural formation. In the darkness, a remarkable rock rose from the sea. It was quite high and wide (maybe about the size of a three-story cottage), but narrow in thickness, like a blade. At its widest point at the base, its thickness did not exceed one meter. It was very frightening even to stand next to it. I had never seen anything like it before. I decided that this was a sign. That I had come to the right place.
So, the first point of the plan is complete. I arrived at a place I don’t even know. This location was determined by a random process, and no living soul could have known that I was here, let alone what I was doing.
What next? With no ideas, I simply sat there and looked around. Hoping that something unusual would happen. Suddenly, I heard splashes. A person emerged from behind the rock, judging by the hairstyle — a girl. She headed to the shore and stepped onto the beach next to me.
The girl was not dressed.
— Hello! I’m Nastya. And you, it seems, are called Mikhail? Do you mind if I stay without clothes for a while? I don't feel like putting on a dress on a wet body.
I didn’t mind. To object, there must be some processes occurring in the nervous system of the one who would object. I was just stunned with amazement.
(to be continued: Protocol 'Entropy'. Part 3 of 6. The city that doesn't exist)
Source: habr.com
