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Other animals lack the computational power of the human brain to imagine endless ‘what-ifs.’ Humans, with our advanced minds, can calculate probabilities, outcomes, infinite possibilities.

2.11.5 “Fifth: we should not be greedy 不贪.”

2.11.5.1 The Lawyer continued, “Greed is a human glitch. Most animals live with far fewer resources than humans, yet they’re not as greedy. Why? Because one can only greed as far as one’s computation reach.

2.11.4.16 The Lawyer paused, looked around and found that the Wife and the Boy were on the verge of falling asleep.

“Bear with me,” the Lawyer begged. “Just one more point before we arrive.”

2.11.4.15 Sorry, I wandered too far, let’s come back to your question, is increasing constructive and creative possibility the universal good? At least in the universe that observes the Second law, it stands. I do not have sufficient data to say that it is the good across all universes.”

Or is this just stage one, a warm-up for later stages with completely different rules, like a gateway to heaven or peaceful land?

2.11.4.14 And if all of this but just a game or a dream, what’s the purpose of this universe? Are we meant to win by defying the laws? To be punished for trying?

What if the speed of light is like a radio frequency, a setting someone could adjust by twisting a radio knob? Each setting could create a different universe, like tuning to another station.

2.11.4.13 On that note, isn’t it strange that so much of our universe is tied to the speed of light? Why exactly 299,792,456 meters per second? Why not 299,792,458 meters per second, or 100?

2.11.4.12 Now imagine a universe with different rules, like a changed speed of light or a distorted Second Law. In such a universe, what we call "good" might not exist at all or take on an entirely new meaning.

Yet even then, this struggle to survive follows the same principle: defying entropy, finding a sliver of possibility in the face of collapse.

2.11.4.11 On the day the last star burns out, all living things relying on sun energy would be counting their last days. With no escape from the heat death following the Second Law, most lives would regress to its rawest state: nasty and desperate, doing whatever it takes to survive another day.

2.11.4.10 This law of working against the direction of entropy, applies not only to the universe as we know it, where new possibilities are still possible, even on the last of days, this law still stands.

2.11.4.9 A human brain needs meaning to function, to compute, act, and dream. Knowing we’ll die only makes the need for meaning stronger. For our species, creating more possibilities feels "good," or at least it keeps our brains engaged.

2.11.4.8 From the perspective of a species as a whole, we do not evolve this far to end others’ possibilities, or to bring destruction or pain to others. On the contrary, we evolved to test the limit of meanings and possibilities, and we survived this far by cooperation.

If we want to stay in the game, doing the opposite, by creating more possibilities, is the direction we should take, because our brains evolved for this.

2.11.4.7 “Good and bad,” the Lawyer replied, “are two sides of the same scale, and the scale is called entropy. Under the Second Law, energy and matter inevitably move toward lesser possibilities.

2.11.4.6 The Wife, still engaged, asked, “So you’re saying increasing constructive and creative possibilities in the long run, is the ultimate good?”

A calm mind moves with clarity, knowing where it stands in the endless currents of matter and energy, aligning not with decay, but with gr.owth, with continuity, with the quiet force that has carried life forward since the beginning of time

2.11.4.5 A mind clouded by evil thoughts cannot see the road ahead.

Every step forward, every invention, every act of creation is an attempt to carve out more constructive and creative possibilities where there were none before.

2.11.4.4 Our evolution has always been a quiet rebellion against chaos, a slow and stubborn push against the pull of disorder.

Without realizing, we speed up entropy and drift faster toward disorder.

2.11.4.3 When negative emotions take over, the mind is distorted, unclear, and unable to reflect the world as it is. In the end, what should have been a step forward becomes a regress, and what could have been clarity dissolves into noise.

2.11.4.2 Negative emotions give rise to evil thoughts, which might create a temporary local burst of possibilities, like destructive actions or short-term gains. But over the long run, by nature they all either end with chaos or fewer constructive and positive possibilities in a shorter time.

2.11.4 “Fourth: we should not have evil thoughts 不嗔.”

2.11.4.1 The Lawyer said, “Humans have evolved to compute more and cooperate better. But negative feelings like anger, envy and hatred, disrupt our ability to think clearly and work together.

2.11.3.13 “Now, can we truly apply feelings without empathy?” the Lawyer finished with a question.

“No,” the boy said.

2.11.4.12 Now imagine a universe with different rules, like a changed speed of light or a distorted Second Law. In such a universe, what we call "good" might not exist at all or take on an entirely new meaning.

Yet even then, this struggle to survive follows the same principle: defying entropy, finding a sliver of possibility in the face of collapse.

2.11.4.11 On the day the last star burns out, all living things relying on sun energy would be counting their last days. With no escape from the heat death following the Second Law, most lives would regress to its rawest state: nasty and desperate, doing whatever it takes to survive another day.

If the hunter- prey relationship worked, the mantis eats its food and continue to live, all acting in opposite direction of lesser possibility.