What is meditation? The concept of visualizing the rate of change in the present moment, like differentiating life

The most mathematical perspective for breaking out of stagnation

Why meditation works.

I need to regulate my breathing. Because distracting thoughts disappear. Because my brain rests. None of these are wrong. But I view one of the essences of meditation as "differentiating life."

Differentiation is a mathematical operation that extracts the instantaneous rate of change of a function. If we bring this concept into our lives, the true nature of meditation will become apparent from a completely different angle.

Differentiation is a perspective for observing instantaneous rates of change.

The word "calculus" sounds difficult, but its essence is simple: to gain insight into momentary changes.

In the history of mathematics, which has continued since before the Common Era, calculus, established in the 17th century, is now used in all aspects of life, from automobiles, GPS, mobile phones, medicine, and beauty to AI.

Even when considering just the face, it's an operation that underpins modern society, such as calculating beauty by differentiating the height of the nose, or creating authentication systems by differentiating facial curvature.

And what happens if we apply this to life? Differentiating the function of life means looking at the rate of change in this very moment.

Whether it's stagnating, growing, or slowing down—establish a perspective that can keenly sense this. Nothing in this world is truly still.

Everything is fluid, and we, our relationships, and society are constantly changing every moment. Despite this, we live with the assumption of "unchangingness." That's why we miss stagnation.

Meditation is the act of “differentiating the function of life.”

The commonly discussed effects of meditation are stress reduction, improved concentration, and mental stability. These are merely results. The essence of meditation is to extract the trajectory of this moment from the curve of life, which extends from the past into the future.

View life with long-term, high-level abstraction, while also observing the present. Which direction and at what speed is your current self moving?

Without losing sight of the signs of change, we continue to question our way of life. This is one of the mathematical truths of meditation.

To achieve that, it's necessary to set clear goals and maintain a high sense of purpose. You cannot differentiate from the peak—if you are always striving for more, you can't measure the rate of change.

This is the feeling of "now," and in a sense, it's also a path toward enlightenment or emptiness.

Escape career stagnation with differential thinking

The stagnation of life is what the person themselves is least likely to notice. It's not stagnation because every day is the same, but because the rate of change is close to zero. Whether or not you can sense this will change the following years.

To have a differential mindset is to view your life as a function and to make a habit of checking the slope of this moment every day. Work, relationships, thoughts, body, emotions—everything is a function, and everything is differentiable.

If it's stagnant, switch to another function. If it's slowing down, identify the causes.

And one more thing. In modern times, we've entered an era where not only business formats but also thinking and execution are being differentiated. When everyone is focused on execution, the choice to intentionally step away from execution is a strategy that can only be taken by those who are observing the rate of change.

Meditation is a ritual to check the slope of life's function every day. This is also the shortest route to breaking out of stagnation.

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