Chaos Theory

There is a moment, near the center of Patton Oswalt's Netflix comedy special Annihilation, as he describes his wife's view of reality: "It's chaos. Be kind." This was in response to her husband's assertion that there might be some sort of intelligent framework to life here on earth. Patton was happy to believe that there was some plan for the way things work out. Then his wife died. Suddenly, he was in full agreement with his wife's simple notion.
There are a lot of aphorisms around that seek to diminish the harshness of everyday existence. T shirts that tell us "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first," and many similar bits of treacle that hope to reassure us of the sweetness of living. This is tempered by words like William Goldman's: 

“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” And I can say that I have found myself quoting either one of these bon mots at different points in my life. Sometimes within the span  of twenty-four hours. Is there any objective truth to a half-full or half-empty vision of the world in which we live?

Probably not. It depends a lot on which side you find your toast buttered. When it hits the floor, butter side down, we tend to curse the maker and look for the quickest way back to bed. When the butter ends up facing the sky, we rejoice and see it as a sign that the rest of the day will be our oyster. Not that I am recommending oysters with buttered toast, but being available to any kind of joy over the course of your average week is vital to keep yourself in the game. Like when released Taliban hostage Joshua Boyle was rescued after five years of captivity, he thought that people were kidding him when they told him that Donald Trump was President. Hard to believe, but just the sort of chaos that makes life so intriguing. Maybe it all really has been a bad dream. 

That's life. As another comic genius once suggested, "It's just a ride." Bill Hicks went away far too soon, but that's what life is: Chaos.

Be kind.