What Is The Least Predictable Pattern?

To begin with, I realize, I haven’t answered a question here in quite a long time. I am currently more deeply immersed in meaningful things than at any other time in my life. Perhaps this is why I so rarely read Quora questions that surprise me with the depth they contain.

This question feels beyond deep. This question surprised me with how little I realize I know about this question.

Now before offering my thoughts, please know, this answer has taken me some time to arrive at. It’s also something far afield from what I initially expected to write. I initially thought about the unknowable part of fractal patterns, such as how Pi unfolds. But on further consideration, I realized, this very unpredictability is predictable. Clearly. Every time.

So then, what would qualify as the least predictable pattern, finding an available parking spot in lower Manhattan on a weekday morning? How about falling in love in a supermarket line after failing at online dating for seven years straight? How about going to the pet shop to get a puppy and coming home with a marmoset? How about thinking you’re straight for 41 years, only to be a girl falling in love with a girl?

I then asked myself, are any of these things predictable? In the individual sense, no. They’re each a possible pattern in personality, yes. That’s true. But predicting that somewhere, sometime, something is likely to happen is not enough.

My proof that these things are not proper answers?

When these things do happen, at one level, we are not surprised.

Ironically, this led me to realize the one pattern which is the least predictable. And in truth, this pattern is a meta-category of patterns which together share the least predictable thing.

The thing?

Being surprised.

No one can predict when this will happen.

But when it does, we know it and can confidently claim, we know this pattern. But only after the fact.

No matter how hard we try, we can never predict when we will be surprised.