Business lessons from the AT part 9 The physics of forever

What does forever mean? Endless? Eternal? Or beyond our lifetime? And is there an aspect of us that goes on forever? ?For us humans, that word may have one clear meaning which we don’t see in ourselves, but to the universe it may have another (equally unarguable) definition altogether.? And, in the universe’s defense, the words we create for things uttered using laryngeal grunting sounds are only approximations of the things we perceive or have created in this physical world (they’re limited).? So, maybe the universe’s definition, if it has one, is the one we should be paying more attention to instead of the one we came up with.? As Alfred Korzybski once noted, “whatever you think a thing is, it isn’t”, meaning the true nature, purpose, or intent of a thing is not known to us (approximations).? For these reasons and others, our descriptions of things should not be taken too seriously, as hard-and-fast gospel, however, they usually are very concrete to us.

There’s also something within us that feels and wants to believe in the permanence of forever and so we attempt to pin it down, think of it, and explain it using finite language in a finite (physical) world.? But what if we’re looking in the wrong places for forever? What if it’s been hiding in plain sight around us (and in us) all the while? What if the ways in which we express and espouse ourselves determine whether or not we reveal and achieve a semblance of forever? ??

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Forever ?

So what is forever? I subtitled this article the physics of forever for a couple reasons. First, it can be thought of as a “sister” article and conclusion to the one written last month which represents a shift from a yearlong of writing about consciousness, the nature of reality, physics, the universe, and time with Danish writing partner Per Brogaard Berggren, it’s been a fun journey we are still on. ?Secondly, whether you’re aware of it or not, there’s a component of our reality as humans which does hint at a connection to more than just this temporary physical form, a “forever” that’s also part of us. Though we often walk through the world in a hurry, are tormented and pursued by time and we behave as if everything is fleeting, disappearing, in short supply, and temporary, IE, (not forever), we also get the sense that a discrepancy looms, one which (materially) manifests itself daily in all kinds of ways with problems and challenges, and one which we are consciously unaware of, in origin, reason, or purpose. Why do we feel this dual pull? What’s going on? ?If there is an aspect of forever in us, it lies in physics.

Physics

Physics, the science which deals with matter, energy, motion, and force, is the study of the natural world. It’s also the key to our understanding of forever and our freedom from the tyranny of its antithetical; not-forever, it’s the key to eternity. The physics of nature is all around us, it is us, and we are literally part of it, we are nature and nature is us. Is it any wonder why we feel closer to reality and have a truer sense of ourselves and contentment when we are immersed in nature vs the manufactured physical abstractions and creations of our society??

Lessons

When I started these articles about business lessons learned on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in May of 2022 , I began by talking about traditional corporate and organizational lessons learned, derived from the experience of nature.? However, with the incorporation of physics into the discussion, I’m no longer just writing about humankind’s plans, maps, strategies and contrivances in the name of production, proficiency, profit, or any other manmade endeavor which would cater to one hemisphere of the brain, forsaking the other, or one aspect of life and reality, ignoring everything else. Now I’m writing about the business of life, what it means to be human also. Here’s the important bits to remember about forever. ?Nature, and the physics of forever, is at its core a physics of energy. This is the bedrock of the universe. And science now believes this energy is consciousness.

Hard things, like climbing a mountain

“A pile of rocks lashed together with tree roots!” that was my (irrational) exclamation about Mount Katahdin in the state of Maine in the United States after climbing it. It was hard and I was soft, and the mountain didn’t have any problems letting me know that fact. But doing hard things renews our energy, it wouldn’t intuitively seem that this would be the case but it’s true. ?The (picture above) is me on the top of Katahdin in September of 2024, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, a 2200-mile walking trail along the eastern seaboard of the U.S., that was a good day. This year we had decided to begin our section-hike at the end of the trail and walk south for 180 miles. With Mt. Katahdin conquered and behind us (and a renewed energy in our spirit) my son Anthony and I struck our tents and hiked south out of Baxter state park and into the edge of an area known as the 100-mile wilderness before camping again. ?All in all, about twelve miles that day, and three miles into the 100-mile wilderness. As its name suggests, for the next 11 days we would be in the most remote part of the AT with no services or anyone to rely on but ourselves. Hikers we met who were heading north would invariably ask about Katahdin.? Our experience, strategies, best practices, the hope for reassurance in their eyes, that they would be successful in their climb. And we would ultimately ask them about the 100-mile wilderness, how did they survive. ?

Knives and bucket lists

A knife, a sharp edge for cutting. A bucket, a vessel for collecting things. One feature we became aware of even before planning our hike at large was one of the trails from Katahdin called knifes edge, one of the alternate routes off of the mountain. The (knifes edge) trail is considered challenging as trails go, it’s narrow with a portion of it only three feet wide consisting of twelve inches of walking path flanked on the left and right by a foot of shoulder before a sheer cliff drop on either side. The park service recommends taking what’s known as a “slack pack” or day pack with you vs a full backpack and not attempting the trail unless you’re fit with reasonably good balance and coordination, you can check out the hike HERE.? The interesting thing about knife’s edge for Anthony and I was our (evolving) perspective regarding the trail and whether or not we wanted to experience the challenge of such a hike, initially, we were excited about it.? For me, as I thought about doing knifes edge, a kaleidoscope of thoughts and feelings turned over in my head. ?From my left (rational) brain to my right (intuitive) brain and back again , it was saying things to me like “this is a bucket list item for you (me), we’ve got to do it?”, and “I can’t let Anthony down, I’m sure he wants to hike it”, to “is this really something you want to do?, is it really on our bucket list?” When I finally sorted through my feelings and got up the courage to talk to Anthony about it, (and that I decided I didn’t really feel compelled to do it), I approached it with a joke. “Hey Anthony,” I said, “the darndest thing happened, I checked my bucket list the other day and hiking the Knifes Edge trail wasn’t on it! And I looked twice!” ?I waited for a reply. There was a pause followed by a laugh. “You know what dad, it’s the strangest thing, I also checked my list, and it wasn’t on mine either,” we both laughed. What changed from our initial excitement about wanting to hike Knifes edge? One thing was that we had decided there was plenty of adventure awaiting us, we didn’t need to search for it, as it turned out we were right. Another thing was that we were looking at the next month and two hundred miles of unknown challenges and adventure with an eye on managing our energy and not just having physical experiences, we were beginning to think differently.? We may have been walking through the material world looking to experience the physical things of life on this hike, but we weren’t just thinking about that aspect of it anymore. We weren’t as concerned about collecting or counting tokens in a physical world made of matter, as if in a video game with plumbers, barrels, and monkeys.? Energy was our new (additional) focus, and it had a weighted significance in our decisions. Into the “100 Mile” Wilderness we went. ?See you next month, thanks for reading, and your thoughts are welcome.

Dr Zabiegalski is available to talk to your organization or venue about ambidexterity research or speak informatively and eloquently about organizational culture, leadership, strategy, learning, complexity, business neuroscience, creativity, mindfulness, talent management, personal success, emotional intelligence, Action Learning, and storytelling. Contact Eric on LinkedIn about a talk, keynote presentation, or workshop today!