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Impossible is an Impossible Word

Impossible is a vague word. Yet, we use it all the time.  It has several meanings, and it’s best to be aware of which you are using next time you evoke the word.


·        Impossible currently? – As in a disease uncurable today but maybe not next year. Rabies, polio, tuberculosis, and measles, once impossible are now cured.

·        Impossible logically? - As in some kind of paradox that has no resolution. The barber paradox is just one example.

·        Impossible problem? – As in some problems unsolvable and no hint to solve. Many in mathematics and physics are so numerous, it would take a book to explain them.

·        Impossible situation? – As in a real-life situation that cannot occur. How about the flying elephant, unicorn, and all manner of Utopias?

·        Impossible project? – As in a wicked problem that may have multiple solutions. Just try to build a beltway around a large city and you’ll see a zillion problems with no clear starting point and multiple solutions.

·        Impossible forever? – As in some problems, that can never be solved. For example, “What is the origin of the universe?” All we ever get is the next, best – oh, and final model. Goodness, do humans have an ego or what?

 Impossibilites are ever-present, like a desert stallion forever wild. They represent what we can’t do and sometimes even can’t even think. They are the ultimate unknowns.  Yet, by centuries and one by one, impossibilities are tamed. We ride on to the next one.


Impossibilities are ever-present, like a desert stallion forever wild. They represent what we can’t do and sometimes even can’t even think. They are the ultimate unknowns.  Yet, by centuries and one by one, impossibilities are tamed. We ride on to the next one.


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