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Exotropy


Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:23-25) 

          Yesterday, I wrote about the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the fact that energy decreases, disorder increases and information is corrupted or lost. Right after the passage in which Paul wrote about creation being frustrated and decaying, he wrote about our hope. We patiently wait, he said, for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Just as I can't imagine what creation would be like without entropy, I can't imagine what my body would be like without entropy, not entirely. Some things are obvious: no more aging (but would there be change or growing up?), no cancer, no diabetes, no need for joint replacements, no arthritis. This is part of what we hope for.
          So there are two ways things can go. There can be entropy, which is frustration and decay, or there can be adoption, redemption and hope. When we hope, really hope and not just wish, what do we do? We think about it, dream about it, dwell on it and learn about it. We invest energy into it. We get ready, which for me, at least, tends to involve decreasing disorder. The hope does not remove the entropy our bodies experience, but it does to reverse some of the entropy. It is exotropy[1], the increase of energy, order and information within a system that is experiencing entropy. It is through our hope that we experience just a tiny taste of what it will be like when we receive the adoption-redemption.


[1] https://www.integrallife.com/node/259576

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