Life is a mathematical equation

Last week my friend, Jakub, told me, while talking about unsolved mathematical problems, that life is like a mathematical equation. I fell in love with this phrase and I have been thinking about it from that point on. We were talking about the Millennium prize Mathematical problems - I think around 10 unsolved mathematical problems, for whose solution a million dollars prize is waiting. One of these problem, The Poincaré conjecture, was solved by Grigori Perelman, but he declined the prize. He said he didn't deserve it more than other mathematicians who contributed to solving this problem. And that is when Jakub said that Grigori solved his life like a mathematical equation. He argued that  Grigori doesn't need much in his life. That he is glad to do mathematics and doesn't need million dollars to be disrupting the life he has. I was fascinated by this. It sounds so calm, peaceful and brave to decline million dollars.

There are complicated mathematical problems as well as there are easy ones. But there are solution to all of them (ignoring Godel's Incompleteness theorem :)). The same is with our lives. There is solution, sometimes simple, sometimes difficult to find, to happiness in our lives. People tend to always want more and more. But once the solution is found, there is no need for something else. Once it is proved to be correct nothing else is needed.

If I would show a mathematical equation to a kid, it wouldn't have a meaning for him. Mathematical equations indeed are some symbols put together. People have to understand what each symbol means in order to understand what does the equation tell us. But there is a meaning under each theorem. We can find that meaning. Some equations do not tell us a lot, some do. But all of them do not have a meaning and price unless we understand them. It is the same with life.

What is the point of life, when we do not understand its meaning? Then all what we perceive around is, are some random symbols that we do not understand. But if we look deep enough, try to see connections, we discover the meaning. And from that point on we do not have to solve it any other way. We have found, proved, understood its meaning and there is no point in looking for something different, some different way, leading to the same goal. 

And there is always a solution. No matter how far away from solution we are, we will always be able to find it. Take few steps back, look at the equation from different angle. And eventually after a good idea, a new idea, the solution will be as obvious as it can be - standing there in front of us, being there the whole time we were looking for it. All the time. 

"Life is like a mathematical equation. There is always a solution to it, being there all the time, waiting for us to discover it." 

Lukas Cerny
17.1.2015