“Nothing is so alien to the human mind as the idea of randomness.” — John Cohen
I read that quote recently and instantly felt a connection to the idea. So…I thought I should write a blog about it. I mean…it’s only appropriate, right? The editor of Randomness finding a quote about randomness…some might deem it divine inspiration. I just thought it was too perfect of a quote not to incorporate into my blog, however random the connection might end up being. Let the reader note that writing about randomness is not an obligation, but rather a state of mind that I fully embrace. I enjoy connecting with people through my writing. We as humans love connections. We want to connect with others through conversations, shared experiences, and common interests. It’s what gives validation to our own humanity…finding out we’re not alone in our thinking and feelings.The human mind is all about finding patterns and meaning in life. We are naturally inclined to magical thinking. (Does that sentence seem like an oxymoron to you?) We seek signs for direction and confirmation as we are faced with making decisions for ourselves. But problems arise when we mistakenly perceive connections and meaning between unrelated things. This is the definition of apophenia. Fun to say, isn’t it? (Random connection, I ate lunch at Red Robin today, and there was a dessert on the menu that looked delicious and had a fun name. Chocolate Fruffles. A combination of fries and truffles. Isn’t “fruffles” fun to say?!)
Back to what I was saying, the human brain tends to assume correlation and causation when things happen with no perceived cause. We want answers, and our brains are continually looking for cause and effect in the events around us. We do this without even realizing it. Another word for apophenia is patternicity. While our brains do indeed LOVE patterns and familiarity, it’s the unusual, different, and extraordinary that get our attention. I wonder if this is why opposites are said to attract in relationships? It’s an interesting concept to ponder. (Another random connection, the whole time I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve had the song “The Fritz” by Cruisr in my head because it was the last song I heard this afternoon. So I thought I may as well tie it into this blog. The chorus is extremely repetitive but what sticks out to me the most is the phrase “on the fritz” – being in a state of disorder or disrepair. Funny…that reminds me of the definitions of entropy and randomness.)
I may have some OCD/perfectionistic tendencies. And that’s the reason the Randomness blog came into existence back in college. My mind was on the fritz. Fried from stress. And I just wanted to focus on random things…liked brownie truffles that look like chocolate covered French fries…FRUFFLES! Do you feel me?! Sometimes I want to escape my mind…to just turn it off for a little while. The big questions plague me, sleep escapes me, obsessive thoughts get stuck on repeat…life’s mysteries need to be solved! If you’re a deep thinker, you know what I’m talking about. All throughout my life, I’ve found writing to be my best therapy. The Randomness blog was me giving myself permission to focus on something different…to not have to be perfect…to stop the spiraling thoughts…to embrace my eccentricity and originality…and to let other people into my inner world. Sometimes I struggle with coherently expressing myself in normal conversation, but I’m better at conveying my feelings through well thought-out written words.
To sum up this very random (and yet very pattern-seeking) blog, the moral of the story is pursue real connections with people and be open to new thoughts and ideas. Wake up to the idea of patterns AND the extraordinary in your life. Don’t let yourself be fooled by false magical thinking, but don’t ever cease to be amazed by the wonder of the universe in which we live. (Here we go with paradoxes again.) I think there exists a magical reality of which we can be a part (and no, I’m not referring to Disney movies, but that’s not a bad idea), and I think it starts with using our minds as the beautiful gifts that they are and being tuned in to how we can make this world a better place.
November 1, 2018
Blue Moon Muse 