Original published in Medium

Everything is a representation.

One of the reasons I am so into machine learning is that it is about representation. Representation to me is defined as the most efficient way to present something without information loss. In other words, it’s to use simple thing to re-present a complex relationship, as simple as that.

How do you represent a company? Financial Statement.

How to represent a risk level? Value at Risk/ Loss.

How to represent the multidimensional universe? Maths.

How to represent social status? Wealth and Fame.

How to represent a physics world? Image.

How to represent your thought? Language.

How to represent where we are? Our senses.

How to represent your past? Your memory.

Everything is a representation, isn’t it.

Why is it needed?

Life is too short, information is too much, world is too complex and we are too lazy. We need a simple representation of everything. (Sidetrack a bit, arriving at a simplest representation is the hardest thing ever.)

Without simplification, our brain can’t process and the world just doesn’t work. How can an acquirer understand its target without financial statements? How can we communicate without language? How can we know it’s a cliff without our sight? How can a physicist understand universe without maths?

It sounds like a complete story (again it’s a representation of what the world is going on to me) until I was puzzling about a philosophical question – who I really am, a particularly common question to generalist.

With this model, everything outside myself is explained. But, what about myself? I am not talking the ‘myself’ from others view. I am talking about what I means to myself. You will have that feeling when you are alone, in a dark room for an hour with total isolation, what does you mean to yourself. Clearly, wealth, social status are not the answer, at least, for me. This is the answer I have been finding.

The missing piece is found when I had a lunch with my ex-boss (I consider him my mentor) who is always inspiring, and wise. While we don’t really speak a lot, every word from him opens my door to another perspective. He asked me a simple yet a question that most cannot answer – what’s my life purpose, and why.

While I am a generalist, it doesn’t mean I don’t need a life purpose, a purpose that represents myself in and out. A purpose that I would say so if I am asked to introduce myself with one word, or if my friend is asked to describe me. It has to be a purpose that I think of everyday when I wake up and every time I feel exhausted. It will be my reminiscence when I am ready to die.

Persistency and consistency only comes after a clearly defined purpose, with a good plan. Without a purpose, our limited drive scatters around and we lose focus and cannot process further.

This is my complete mental model – everything is a representation. Agree or not? Put your two cents.