I am lucky to observe the world not only through my eyes, my senses, and my perception but also my mind with a mathematical perspective. Almost any natural phenomenon on the earth can be modeled by an equation or a set of equations. A number of physical models have been developed throughout the course of human history. To name a few of the many examples, a simple equation of motion (s = vt) can describe the behavior of an object as a function of time, a wave equation (differential equation) can describe the behavior of waves and other physical systems that behave like waves, and the Navier-Stokes equation can describe the behavior of fluid flow and can be used in numerical weather prediction. Moreover, we also have a bunch of tools to shape the world in the way we want through the machines we use to harvest resources, the species we bring to an end, and the technology we are developing and improving. However, to come into human, it is so complicated. I wonder whether we have a model to simulate all of the possible scenarios of the development of a man or a woman. I guess we have so many uncertainties in that model, but if we have such a model, what should be the output of that model? The output should be happiness, time, health, career, success, power, money, …, or combinations of those things? Possible influenced forces can be the parents, family, and friends who spend time with us and share with us joyfulness and sadness; the books we read; the strangers we encounter; the music we listen to; the places we live and visit; the cultures we experience; the decisions we make; the relationships we have; and all of the other things. It also can be viewed as a nested function corresponding to different stages in life with lots of variables.
For simplification, we can think of a simple model such that time and happiness are the final outcomes. So what is the best strategy for a human being to maximize their output? Depending on our expectations and definitions, one may want to get more money to live a luxurious life, others may want to live with happiness, one wants to live a meaningful life by helping others, one wants to live a simple life with modest accessories, or one wishes to live a colorful life with lots of experiences, etc. To me, life is a series of causes and effects where we need to make choices about which one is better or suitable, and meaningful life is a series of connections and relationships. Sometime, we give a bad decision, or sometimes we make a good choice. At then end, we are standing at what we chose!