On Certainty and Complexity

Also: Metalabel Book Publishing, Massive Minecraft Worlds, and Ranked Choice Voting in 2024

Life sometimes presents new and unexpected crossroads. Being at one right now in my personal life, there’s a voice in my head that does not want this upheaval. There’s a desire for a retreat to simplicity: a feeling that if I let go of acquired responsibilities, switch off some obligations, and curtail my life, I can more readily tackle life to my standard (including, just being and living). But, I think the desire is misaligned. VGR spoke on an entirely different topic (paywalled) related to societal changes, but I found one quote from it that made me reframe my unease.

The failure of a world begins with a failure of the imagination to comprehend increased complexity, and an urge to retreat to greater simplicity.

I think we have a habit to desire simpler times when things are not going our way, because we think complexity is the problem when it is actually uncertainty. But! Certainty is not at odds with complexity.

When things do not go our way, we should actually lean into complexity, rather than out of it. For example, one can have a rich, complex, and certain life. A vision of that is living in a city with a family. You have a local bar you see regulars in, school board meetings, seeing family, being involved in culture, a running club, and a career. A tapestry of interrelated life. What is certain is the availability of this community: that yes, things will come and go, but it exists. It’s complex, but certain.

On the other hand, you can have a simple and uncertain life. One can farm, work the land, but be beholden to the unexpected whims of the climate and weather. In biology, a complex and certain heartbeat (higher heart rate variability) is healthier over a simple and uncertain heartbeat (unhealthier).

When one wants simplicity, one should rather ask whether we want certainty. In fact, it’s the pursuit of simplicity that often turns us into more fragile and breakable forms.

If you consider Conclave’s amazing speech on certainty (even if you’re not religious):

Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end. “Dio mio, Dio mio, perché mi hai abbandonato?” he cried out in his agony at the ninth hour on the Cross.
Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery and, therefore, no need for faith.

I’d reframe it slightly:

Simplicity is the great enemy of unity. Simplicity is the deadly enemy of tolerance.

PS. Enjoy this great TikTok Edit with the speech over Radiohead’s Everything in it’s Right Place.

---

Bonus Content!

This week, I’ve mostly just been pre-occupied with three things: writing from hotels and coffee shops, walking, and existentialism. 😅

✍️ Writing - Novel #2

As mentioned above, I decided to get out of my apartment to focus on finishing my book by writing from hotels instead. Less distractions and a change of scenery. I’ve made really good progress as I’m coming into the final stretches of draft 2 of the book.

📺 Watching - Severance, White Lotus

Still thoroughly enjoying Severance and I’m super excited that White Lotus started again. S2 of White Lotus is still one of my favourite seasons of TV ever.

🏃‍♂️ Running/Walking

Haven’t been running as much. Too damn cold. So, mostly replaced it with walking in the afternoons. A lot of it. Been good! I’m getting race-curious again, but unfortunately my life is a bit too unstructured at the moment to seriously commit to a training schedule. Maybe later this year.

Dark Forest Anthology Book Publishing Stats

I love it when people publish more stats and behind-the-scenes of their projects.

Yancey Strickler

and co published a book called Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet and then released a behind-the-scenes accounting of it.

In its first year, The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet was collected by nearly two thousand people; showed up in Hyperallergic, The New York Times, and the Museum of Modern Art; and earned more than $60,000 in book sales, $30,000 of which were automatically paid out to the authors like a passive royalty stream.

I’ve been thinking a lot about publishing as I’m gearing up to finishing my second novel. I still want to trad publish it, mostly so I can see and understand the inside lane versus self-publishing (which I did for my debut sci-fi novel).

Massive Minecraft Worlds

Like many people, I go through Minecraft phases. Lately, I’m not playing much, but actually have just enjoyed exploring the larger creator side of it. People building the most interesting things. From seeing people explore the chaos 2B2T:

to people building cities:

Greenfield (the project above) is particularly interesting as people also created the interiors of every building. In creating simulated cities as an aesthetic recreation reveals much about how we *see* cities. It’s not unexpected to see players simply recreate what they’re familiar with, but I wonder if there are experiments at this scale that also attempts to redefine urbanism through the lens of simulated gaming worlds. Like, I dunno. Sure. Recreate a city, *but* re-imagine the alleyway, or zoning, or transit. 😅

USA Ranked Choice Voting in 2024

I was curious how the various ballot measures on ranked choice voting fared in last year’s elections. I’m glad that fairvote wrote up a summary. Unfortunately, both a bit forwards and backwards.

🎶 Music

Jadu Heart - You’re Dead

Seriously enjoying the mix of genres in this. Ambient breakbeat into grunge-y shoegaze drum and bass noise? Either way. Great track!

That’s it for this week, friends. Hope you enjoy a lovely sunset.

Simon