May 23, 2026 By Nick Jacobs 4 min read

As I approach an age that is significantly older than dirt, I realized that even though I know more about everything, I actually know a lot less about anything. When I was younger, I thought wisdom would be the reward for staying alive this long. Instead, it feels more like a flickering streetlight in a mall parking lot. It gives you just enough light to avoid the potholes but not enough to help you find your car.

We have been trying to make sense of the universe since the beginning of time. My mother believed in pre-destiny. One of my bosses talked about Chaos Theory as if it were the secret to life. And a brilliant friend once explained the Fibonacci sequence to me. I nodded politely, the same way one does when someone explains cryptocurrency. I still don’t fully understand either one, but at least with Fibonacci I know it has something to do with spirals, sunflowers, pine cones, and the idea that nature does math better than we do.

What I did not know until recently is that there is a word for our habit of seeing patterns everywhere, apophenia. Humans are wired to connect dots even when the dots are not connectable. Knowing that might have been helpful back when I was trying to understand the stock market, or the weather, or why the dog insists on facing north when she poops. Or maybe it is south. I am still not sure.

But here is what I’ve learned. Sunflowers and pine cones really do grow in spirals. History really does seem to repeat itself every 80 years or so, because we forget what happened. And the universe really does contain trillions of stars like our sun. Meanwhile, I can’t keep track of where my wife left her cellphone.

So, what does it all mean?

Those who believe everything is predetermined while others who insist everything is random are both on shaky ground. I am not sure either group has lived through the last few decades, because my life has been a crazy mix of both. There has been a little order, a little chaos, and a whole lot of moments when I said, “Are you kidding me?”

Chaos Theory says that tiny changes can lead to huge outcomes. A butterfly flaps its wings in South America, and a storm forms in New Stanton. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that one small decision can change your entire life. When my wife said yes to our first date, that one choice shaped everything that came after it. Sometimes the butterfly is real. Sometimes it is just another random dot.

But here is the part I do understand, the part that doesn’t require a telescope or a calculator.

There are positive forces and negative forces in life. Negatives like jealousy, hatred, and greed will take you down every time if you let them. They are heavy. They stick. They multiply. They show up uninvited, the way the playground bully always did.

The positives take more effort. You have to look for them, choose them, and practice them. But when you focus on the positives, life becomes lighter and more meaningful. You start noticing the small things. A beautiful morning. A friend who makes you laugh. A grandchild who still thinks you are cool.

Life is short, chaotic, and often confusing. But it can still be beautiful.

Maybe the point is not to figure out the universe. Maybe the point is simply to enjoy the ride. Appreciate the patterns when you see them. Laugh at the chaos when you can. Keep choosing the positive. Walk away from the negatives whenever you are able. Focus on the good. Do the good things. Try to leave life a little better than you found it.

And maybe wisdom is not a bright light after all. Maybe it is that same flickering streetlight in the mall parking lot. It gives you just enough glow to take the next step without falling on your face. And sometimes that is all the wisdom any of us ever really needs.