What If Faster Gets You Nowhere?
Lessons from cybernetics, physics, and philosophy — and what they mean for your average Monday.
So, your Maps app tells you that you’ll arrive at 10:14 AM.
You assume it’s calculating based on staying around the speed limit.
Then you think: What if I drive just a little faster? Will I get there earlier?
In my experience, that rarely happens.
And I always wonder:
Are those drivers flying down the left lane really arriving much earlier?
Or are we all just caught in the same dance of slowdowns, construction zones, red lights, and merging lanes?
In complex systems, everything tends to self-balance.
So What Does This Mean for You?
Our education usually reinforces effort as a tactic to get better results.
But more often than not, we interpret it as: "more effort = better results."
We get frustrated when things don't go as expected, unaware that a much bigger and more complex system is in play.
More effort becomes like speeding on the highway—burning more fuel, increasing tension, and still arriving at the same time… but exhausted.
Look at the political world: authoritarian leaders use immense force to stay in power. But the more pressure they apply, the more the system tenses—until eventually, something breaks. And when it does, they lose the very position they tried to protect.
Even in traffic, you’ve probably seen it:
The ones who speed past everyone often end up… right beside you at the next red light.
Maybe with the bonus of a police car nearby, watching the whole show.
So what’s going on here? Why do systems behave this way?
Science and philosophy have been exploring this for centuries.
Let me show you a few perspectives—stick with me, I promise it’s fascinating.
And don’t lose the last part.
Cybernetics: Nature’s Feedback Loops
Cybernetics is the study of how systems regulate themselves through feedback, adjustments, and equilibrium. Ecosystems, machines, economies, and even your body all rely on these loops.
Joseph Wood Krutch said it beautifully:
“The famous balance of nature is the most extraordinary of all cybernetic systems. Left to itself, it is always self-regulated.”
In other words, if you push too much, the system will respond in kind to balance itself.
Even grinding has a counter-response. The system doesn't reward pressure—it absorbs and adjusts until equilibrium is restored.
Sound familiar?
Wu Wei: The Wisdom of Non-Forcing
In Taoism, there’s a beautiful concept called Wu Wei — often translated as effortless action.
It doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means moving in harmony with how things already want to move.
It’s the difference between forcing progress and allowing progress. Sometimes, the harder we try, the more resistance we create. Wu Wei invites us to trust timing and align with flow, rather than obsessing over control.
I see Wu Wei as unconditional doing.
It’s not about giving up. It’s about acting without friction, without attachment, without pushing against the current.
But here’s the challenge:
We’ve lost touch with the ecosystem we’re part of.
We no longer perceive the broader patterns, so we can’t recognize the direction of the current.
In other words:
It’s not about accelerating harder—it's about realizing there’s traffic.
And pushing everyone to go faster won’t make you arrive sooner.
Thermodynamics and the Return to Balance
If you drop a stone in still water, ripples spread… but eventually, stillness returns.
In physics, systems tend to move toward equilibrium—energy dissipates, heat balances, and disturbances settle.
Life does the same.
That doesn’t mean we must keep pushing to maintain motion (like creating endless ripples).
It suggests that systems tend to calm, to balance, to settle—until a new action emerges.
This isn’t an argument against effort.
It’s one more pointer at recognizing that balance is the inevitable result.
Too much forcing increases tension and stress.
It might bring results, but often at a cost.
Should our actions contribute to generate balance?
Or are we adding more ripples to a pond that’s trying to rest?
A Small Reflection
Where in your life are you forcing outcomes?
Could arriving on time—without stress—be more valuable than arriving early and drained?
What do you think is more efficient: forcing or just doing?
Balance Always Arrives — Just Not on Schedule
There’s something we haven’t talked about yet: time.
When a system self-balances, it doesn’t do so instantly.
Sometimes it takes seconds. Sometimes it takes a century.
It depends on the structure and the patience of those involved.
The simpler the system, the longer it might take to rebalance.
The more complex and interconnected, the faster feedback kicks in.
This might be why an unknown artist's masterpiece can be ignored for decades — until the system grows complex enough to notice, contextualize, and revalue it.
So if your work hasn’t been recognized yet… maybe it’s not because it lacks value.
Maybe the system just isn’t ready. Yet.
And that’s why persistence always wins.
Not because it overpowers resistance, but because it stays long enough for the system to catch up.
PS: A friend reminded me today that the greatest artists don’t explain their message—they evoke it.
They trust that the system—the observer, the moment, the context—will do the rest.
As I reread this piece, I see the irony: I’ve done a lot of explaining.
Maybe that’s okay. Maybe we sometimes need a bit of guidance to recognize the dance we’re already part of.
I’m getting very curious about mastering the art of writing, evoking ideas and thoughts without telling.
Love,
Jose
🍅 A Personal Invitation: Meet Automato
Congratulations if you’ve made it this far!
Lately, I (along with many people around me) have been thinking about how AI and other tech innovations are reshaping the way we work — and how we level up our skills.
That’s why I started a new publication in Substack:
A “learning in public” space for people who don’t come from IT, but want to use technology to work smarter, not harder.
It’s called Automato.
Yes, like tomato… but with automation. 🍅
I love the name — it’s silly, playful, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. But the content is grounded and practical.
If you’re curious about workflow automation, AI tools, or how to bring more ease and clarity to your day-to-day work…
Check the first post, and subscribe to keep updated.
If we sat around and had coffee we'd end up saying a lot of the same stuff 🤣
You had me at the title of the article 🤣👊🏼