The Nonlinear Function of Life
As with electronics, life may be modeled by some nonlinear function. This function represents the ups and downs of life. During our lives, we find love, suffer losses and there are times where we are just bored. Times of extreme emotional distress may be represented with sharp changes in the life function. Family is a constant, as this is a known, stable quantity. An example of a life graph is shown in the figure 1.1 below.
Figure 1.1 Life Function
In mathematics one represents the sable quantities such as family and friends with constants, or low order polynomials. These functions do not change rapidly with time. Emotional quantities, such as relationships may be higher order polynomials, as these change more rapidly with time. These life functions may be weighted, and summed together to form the life graph. Friend functions may have smaller weighting than relationships, as these contribute less to ones life. Extreme happiness or sadness is obtained when there are sharp changes in the life function. Thus the slope or derivative of the life function may represents happiness. The derivative of the above life function is shown below.
Figure 1.2 Happiness Function
When life is not changing, one does not experience happiness. Thus someone who is said to have it all, family, friends, money, may not be happy. People find it difficult to understand what when wrong in their relationships. Infact maybe nothing went wrong, except the relationship was not dynamic and therefore the couple fell out of love.
This leads to the question, "how does one reduce the unhappy times". People generally consider unhappy times to be unenviable, however if one analyses life as a nonlinear function, it may be noted that dipes in the life function may be avoided by reducing higher order variables. These variables may include unstable friends, stressful jobs or fling relationships.
The life function a person chooses really depends on their personality. If one is able to cope with the hard times, then a flamboyant lifestyle, which includes many high order variables, may be suitable.