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The Power Of Randomness And The Need For Order
Resilient systems in the modern age
Randomness is immensely powerful. A wrecking ball to predictability, randomness tears through routine and spices things up along the way. It does not only tackle boredom or provide excitement, though. Aleatory decisions are crucial for the chased not to be caught. Unpredictable actions are nigh on impossible to suppress. Random choices allow us to grow and become better individuals.
If — perish the thought! — I were ever sought by the authorities, I imagine I would jump on random trains and buses without even thinking about the destination. I would try to stop reasoning as myself, at least for a moment, and make every decision as likely to come from me as from anyone else in my vicinity. Perhaps I would roll a die or toss a coin to choose where to hide next. Maybe I would call the police to tell them I think I saw myself down the street I just left and headed in the opposite direction.
On a less dramatic level, some of the most effective decisions in improving as a human are the result of chance. That book we wouldn’t normally read. That artist we wouldn’t even know existed if we hadn’t bumped into this talkative stranger. The career we would have never considered had we not listened to the podcast the guest in the room adjacent to ours was playing far…