Anything can happen at any time.
The Universe exists despite infinitesimal odds saying otherwise.
So many exact factors had to line up so you could read this post.
More than thirty parameters needed to coincide to allow a universe with life to prevail.
These include the right amount of gravity to keep the planet from burning. The attractive force between atomic nuclei and electrons needs to be just right. If too weak, electrons couldn’t orbit, and an overly strong attraction would prevent atoms from bonding with each other.
What were the odds of a Universe forming with life?
The odds are one to the negative 230. There is one chance in a number with 229 zeros after it.
Sebastian Junger puts this into perspective in his new book, In My Time Of Dying.
Randomly finding a specific grain of sand on the first try among all the grains on earth would be millions of times more likely than the Universe existing. And yet here we are.
In the book, Junger tells the tale of his ruptured abdominal aneurysm. Junger came within inches of death’s grasp but miraculously survived against all odds.
As he lay in the trauma unit, he witnessed an image of his long-dead father beckoning him to join him in a bottomless black pit. Junger realized this represented death and resisted. He recovered to tell the tale.
Being an avowed atheist with a father who was a world-renowned physicist makes this story the more fascinating.
Junger wasn’t looking for secrets to an afterlife; they found him.
Recovery was much more complex than all the deadly encounters he experienced as a global war correspondent over the last few decades.
In the end, Junger came to a rational conclusion to explain his near-death experience.
Using physics, he surmised if the Universe came into being despite unfathomable odds, why was it not conceivable that he could see and speak to his dead father at the time of his near-death?
In other words, anything is possible. The Universe’s birth is undeniable proof of overcoming incalculable odds.
Junger’s account provides an indispensable lesson for investors.
Take pause the next time you see someone on TV predicting with certainty the direction of the market, a presidential election, or the economy.
The fact that they exist to pontificate their views was a One To The Negative 230 chance happening.
How in God’s name can they be so sure about anything???
Choose humility and accept the fact the only certainty is uncertainty.
Fortune doesn’t favor the brave. It rewards the realists.
All of us have won the Universe’s equivalent of the Mega-Jackpot Lottery by simply existing.
Don’t squander your good fortune by listening to people spraying a firehose of certitude.
