Sunrise, sunset

I’ve always thought of algorithms as those sneaky things that monitor my every move online. Oh, it’s for a noble purpose – to filter the information and conveniently present the most relevant material, right? There’s no denying it’s easier than ever to find answers to burning questions like, “Who invented ice cream?” or “How old is Dolly Parton?” But I suspect the convenience is more about luring me into continued scrolling and spending.

Breaking it down

Even the experts disagree on a precise definition of algorithm. Technological titan that I am, I googled, “How do you explain algorithms to a child?” The answer: a finite set of step-by-step instructions or rules assigned to perform a specific task or solve a problem. Much like a recipe for baking a cake. Ah, now they’re talking my language – food!

Some algorithms are highly complex – like the ones that encrypt your bank transactions or online purchases to keep them secure. Others analyze traffic patterns and distance so your GPS can guide you along the fastest route. And yes, algorithms watch what you’re doing on social media or search engines to determine what interests you most, then sift through massive data to serve up more of the same.

Nature’s rhythms

But algorithms apply to more than just computers and digital technology. The term itself has been part of the English language since 1596. Long division (an ancient technique predating calculators) requires an algorithm. Input. Process. Outcome. So does tying your shoes (what people did before “slip-ins”). Loop. Swoop. Tighten. Miss a step or do them out of order and you’re better off with Velcro.

If I think about it, algorithms are at the heart of so much of daily life. They govern how I clean my house, cut the lawn or do my exercises. I have a specific process for each task. If I stray from my usual pattern, I’ll probably miss something and the outcome won’t be quite what I hoped for. Jack says I’m a creature of habit. I prefer to think of myself as efficient. Maybe that’s what an algorithm is – a habit with purpose.

Really, we’re surrounded by algorithms. They give us context for living, don’t they? It seems to me that routines and rhythms are built into creation. Lunar systems, the hydrological cycle, planting, growth and harvest, birth and death – these are all parts of the “circle of life” for wildlife, pets, plants and people.

As time goes by

Weeks, months and years pass. Seasons change in ordained sequence, each with its own purpose and beauty. I know all about summer, winter, spring and fall. But on the threshold of three-score-and-ten I have a sense of eager expectation and curiosity, all tinged with reluctance as I anticipate another changing season in my life. Tevye’s song rings sombrely in my brain – sunrise, sunset. Where did these 70 years go?

There’s sublime peace in knowing that the Creator of algorithms is still carrying out his purpose in the time allotted for me. Input. Process. Outcome. It’s all his design.

Meanwhile, I’ll dish up some ice cream and beckon my dear husband with words from Robert Browning:

“Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith, ‘A whole I planned;
Youth shows but half. Trust God: see all, nor be
afraid!’”