Entropy
random blobs of power expressed as that which we all disregard,
(Engergy on its most fundamental level is broken down into small tiny packets, called quanta. This is where you get the term “Quantum Leap” from. It’s really a misnomer. Energy on tiny levels can be imagined more like a movie that moves in frames. Energy can only have certain values. So, although it seems like you are moving fluidly through space, on tiny scales, your atoms can only take specific energy values, and it really is like frames of a movie. For example an atom traveling from one side of box to another will not occupy every position between one side of the box to the other. Depending on the size of the box, it can only be in a certain number of positions so it ‘jumps’ across the box. There are certain locations where it can never occupy, hence the term “Quantum Leap”. To make matters even more complicated, t’s impossible to predict exactly where this tiny guy will be at any given time, hence the “random blobs of power” phrase)
ordered states of nature on a scale that no one thinks about,
(This happens constantly with our without our knowledge)
don’t speak to me of anarchy or peace or calm revolt,
man, we’re in a play of slow decay orchestrated by boltzmann,
(Although we get caught up with higher order concepts such as justice, peace, anarchy, all the atoms in our body are slowly, but surely, moving towards a more stable situation, i.e. disorder and death. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of universe is always increasing. Everything tends towards a more stable state, disorder. Death is the thermodynamic inevitability. Boltmann was the scientist who calculated and quantified many of the functions of entropy, specifically statistical mechanics)
it’s entropy, it’s not a human issue,
entropy, it’s a matter of course,
(No matter what we think or feel, our lives are dictated by the reality of physics, i.e. the properties of physical matter)
entropy, energy at all levels,
(there is not one physical process in the world we know of that cannot be explained in terms of entropy.)
entropy, from it you can not divorce
and your pathetic moans of suffrage tend to lose all significance,
(Even though people act like it’s not a part of their lives, entropy is fundamental reality for everyone. I guess this is his way of saying, “Let’s put things in perspective, people.”)
extinction, degradation;
the natural outcomes of our ordered lives,
(Entropy means that all processes – including our own lives – tend towards a lower state of order. Have you ever seen a house build itself? Probably not, but we all know every home will fall apart over time with a general lack of effort. In order to build a house – a highly ordered structure – many trees must be destroyed and much waste is created. Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics says that even when you create something highly ordered (a house for instance) you will always create more disorder (destruction of trees, natural resources) than order you create. The same goes for humans. How much do you have to eat just to stay alive?) You can never transfer the exact amount of animal or plant protein you eat into your own body. Some will always be wasted, as we all know. Your car will always lose gas efficiency to heat loss and friction.)
power, motivation; temporary fixtures for which we strive,
(Again, human issues that seem so tangible to us)
something in our synapses assures us we’re ok
(Sometimes we feel like we’re going to live forever even though it’s in stark contrast to reality. Thankfully, we have dopamine and serotonin to soothe us)
but in our disquilibrium we simply can not stay,
(Thermodynamically speaking, we are in a state of disequilibrium just by being alive. Go ask road kill. They are in a much more thermodynamically stable state than we are)
a stolid proposition from a man unkempt as I,
my affectatious nature I can not rectify,
but we are out of equilibrium unnaturally,
a pang of consciousness of death
and then you will agree
(Once you are dead and your body stops requiring the constant exchange of oxygen to carbon dioxide and you stop requiring massive amounts of stored energy in the form of food, you will then finally be in a more stable environment. He’s not apologizing for stating the obvious truth, as any scientist knows it to be.)
Now, this is not to say go jump off a bridge tomorrow. I would like to think, in the end, Greg Graffin is somehow saying, wow look how rare life truly is. That’s how I take it. At the same time, you can look at death and say ok, it’s a natural outcome. Maybe I shouldn’t worry about it. This is how it goes, not only for everyone, but everything in this universe. Enjoy the ride, don’t get too caught up with nonsense because before you know it you’ll be back to your old thermodynamically stable self.