Chapter 4-5 Law of Entropy Increase

Entropy was initially a function describing thermo-dynamic states and later developed into a measure of a system's disorder. The more disordered a system is, the greater its entropy; the more ordered a system is, the lower its entropy. In 1850, German mathematician Rudolf Clausius conducted an in-depth study of the conversion of heat and work, summarizing it as the "Second Law of Thermodynamics". In 1856, he introduced the concept of "entropy" in his paper "On a Modified Form of the Second Fundamental Theorem in the Mechanical Theory of Heat", to describe this irreversible process, and used proof by contradiction to demonstrate the existence of the "Law of Entropy Increase".

 The "Law of Entropy Increase" states that: in an isolated and closed system, any change cannot result in a decrease in the total entropy. In other words, any closed system, without external energy input, will continuously become more disordered until the system collapses.

Beyond physical and chemical experiments, the "Law of Entropy Increase" is ubiquitous.

In 1998, entrepreneur Jeff Bezos wrote in a letter to Amazon shareholders: "We want to fight entropy." Management master Peter Drucker also provided insightful quote: "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

A company, in its early stages, is often lean and efficient, with highly aligned goals and strong execution. However, as the company grows, the number of employees increases, processes and regulations multiply, and resources are consumed internally, reducing efficiency. Hence, achieving longevity for a company is exceptionally challenging. A house, when first moved into, is clean and orderly, but as time goes on, more items accumulate, and things are placed more randomly, leading to increasing disorder and difficulty in finding things. The same applies to all things. Boiled water cools down when left out, clothes become increasingly worn out, and smartphones become slower with increased use...

Aren't people the same?

Love in this world is like a game that tests the heart. No matter how perfectly matched and affectionate two people are in the beginning, any relationship eventually fades into ordinariness or ends with a sigh of regret. How many can truly stay together until old age? The vast majority are just "acquaintances for a time". How many people can realize: those who are mindful will inevitably be burdened; those who are indifferent will have no concerns; meeting is fate, and when fate ends, parting is natural; love comes from willingness, so there is no debt to be repaid—letting go is the best way.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, being confined at home initially seemed pleasant, but over time, garbage accumulated, the air became stale, people became disheveled and restless, feeling uneasy and purposeless. Those with limited understanding found life meaningless, while those with a higher level of awareness began to rethink the meaning of life...

The "Law of Entropy Increase" also explains the cyclic law of "all beings constantly descending" (see Chapter 8 for details). If we could see the scenes of our reincarnations over many lifetimes, we would realize that: the consumption of blessings often far outpaces their accumulation. A lifetime may exhaust the merits accumulated over several lifetimes. In this light, rather than facing chaos and disorder in life and losing energy in the process of fighting and upgrading, it is better to find the most comfortable posture and state for oneself, do more good deeds, accumulate merits, and achieve harmony and entropy reduction.

From a macroscopic perspective, whether it is humanity, the earth, or the universe, the increase of entropy is an irreversible process. So how can we counteract entropy increase? According to the definition, the conditions for "Entropy Increase" are twofold: a closed system and no external work. Breaking either of these conditions can achieve entropy reduction. Simply put, opening up the system and injecting new energy or enhancing the energy of internal life can counteract entropy increase.

For example, the management of large enterprises often aims to maintain the vitality and efficiency of the organization, which may require adopting a "flattened" structure. Elon Musk, managing dozens of companies, strongly advocates for a "flat" management structure to overcome the entropy increase caused by bureaucratic bloat. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang says that, over 50 people in the company can report directly to him, and he dislikes hierarchical management and using information asymmetry to establish authority within the company.

There is a saying in China: "A harmonious family prospers in everything." Harmony is precious. When a family is harmonious, it is at its lowest entropy. The concepts of "favourable timing, geographical and human conditions"（天时、地利、人和）also follow this principle. A successful entrepreneur must have an orderly and harmonious family; conversely, a businessman with a chaotic family life may seem to have short-term financial success but will eventually exhaust his blessings and achieve nothing.