There are so many questions that I have. It seems the more I learn, the more questions present themselves. For example, we are all striving for some sort of heaven, some sort of redemption, some sort of meaning in this world. It seems that the more we search, the more elusive it becomes.
Ours is a world that is dominated by fear. It is fear that controls us. Fear forces us to relinquish our freedom in exchange for security. For example, fear is used by those in power to control those who are not in power. You see this all around you, if you observe with an open mind. Notice I didn't say an unbiased mind. That is because the observer's experience changes everything, including how we react to fear.
For example, I am somewhat fatalistic when it comes to global pandemics. I don't do anything stupid, but I know that fear is a method that usurps self-control and freedom. I have been told of young children who have become so indoctrinated by fear that even though they are statistically in little danger from the virus, they fret when a loved one fails to wash their hands every 30 minutes.
I do have a belief that science and religion will converge at some point. They both involve faith. For example, I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that cloth masks are worthless against viruses because in my career I conducted experiments that studied the efficiency of filtering sub-micron particles. My observations and my interpretation of them inform my reality. Your experience tempers your belief, and I cannot judge which belief is correct and which is wrong. I only can vouch for my truth.
Reality seems to be governed by Newtonian physics. This is the type of reality that we can see and feel and observe. However, underlying this reality is Quantum physics, where things behave in altogether strange ways. Quantum physics, or modern physics, is the physics of atoms, electrons, protons, and all sub-atomic particles. It's a strange and absurd world that defies reality.
One example is the dual slit experiment. If a wave in water were to hit a will with two parallel vertical slits in it, each slit would send out a wave of its own. These two waves would create a destructive and constructive interference pattern. However, when performing the dual slit experiment with a quantum particle like a photon or an electron, the particles behave as waves and create the same interference patterns. Wait, particles are like bullets fired from a gun, right? Two slits should create only two vertical lines of bullet holes. But quantum particles behave like waves. This is wave-particle duality.
This explains what I’m talking about.
Another but here…but if you try to closely observe the behavior of particles in the dual slit experiment, the wave-particle duality breaks down, and the behavior becomes particle-like. Here something known as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle comes into play (yes, the same Heisenberg from the show "Breaking Bad"). We are never sure of a particle's location between start and finish. It's always uncertain.
In this example that I've tried to explain, somewhat clumsily, there are rich metaphors for life. Our observed reality is uniquely our own. We strive to make sense of a complex world. We are uniquely alone in this regard. This is one reason humans long to believe in a god because, with God, at least one other entity truly understands us.
I also believe that by applying these types of metaphors, we can better understand ourselves in relation to others. This is why, for me, Don Miguel Ruiz's "Four Agreements" are so profound.
- Be impeccable with your word - Your word can cause great harm; use it with grace.
- Don't take things personally - Taking things personally is the height of selfishness. It's not all about you.
- Don't make assumptions - Your observed reality is not someone else's reality. Get alignment with your loved one's reality.
- Always do your best - Behave like someone is always observing you.
I believe that this world cannot be made perfect. There is no utopia for us. Following the four agreement framework is one way to make sense of the quantum physics of life. Perhaps one day, we will unlock all the mysteries of the physical world. When that day comes, maybe it's when we all become one with the universe. It will be the end of time. As the old testament says, it's when the Lion will lie down with the Lamb.
Until then, be true to something, be it your church, family, friends, or philosophy of life. These are your anchors in the quantum physics of life.
Be well, dear reader.
