anxiety versus physics

He has not called or texted me for two days now. Yep. And rather than be sucked into a miserable blackhole, I decided that tonight, at least, I will try to find out how quantum mechanics can offer me solace a logical explanation for what might be going on.

First, there's this guy Hugh Everett III whose death was probably caused by obesity, smoking, and alcoholism. He claims that for each possible outcome to an action, the world splits into copies of itself.

You see, it's like a choose-your-own-adventure book--only you don't choose between either jumping into the rabbit-hole or going back to reading your book by the river, because the universe splits in two so that both actions are taken.

This means that in an alternate reality, he did call or text me. It no longer matters that I happen to exist in this one reality where he did not call or text me. Because he actually did. In an alternate reality. His own choice isn't important, because at that precise moment when he could have called or texted me, the world has already split in two.

And then there's this Niels Bohr guy who says that "particles" exist in all states at once and that it is only forced to assume a definite state when we try to observe it. Which is another way of saying the proverbial tree in the forest has fallen only when we try to find out if it did.

This means that as long as I do not try to find out why he has not called or texted me, there would be equal probabilities to all reasons why he has not called or texted me yet. As long as I wait patiently, all of these reasons would coexist truthfully and I would not have to confront the real reason just yet.

So: he has not called or texted me in two days. No big deal. It's nothing. Really. Now I will go publish this bullshit and be perfectly pleased with myself. Thank you, Hugh. Thank you, Niels.


* photo is from the film Inglorious Basterds, where Adolf Hitler gets assasinated.

11 comments:

  1. Is it also that you have not called or texted him?

    Early on in my relationship, I always expected him to call me or text me. I never initiated. He must have taken notice because one day, he didn't contact me. One day turned into two days. I worried about why he had not called, but I still did not contact him. On the third day, he called me. Mad. He told me that he had been waiting to see when I would ring him. After stewing about it for two days, he couldn't take it anymore, and on the third day he expressed his disappointment at my lack of care and concern for him. He was right, though. I had always waited for him to initiate. I should have just picked up the phone and contact him.

    There is no pride and ego when it comes to love.

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  2. Parang sumakit yung ulo ko sa quantum mechanics reasons mo, pwede kayang tanungin na lang natin siya why he hasn't called or texted you?

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  3. its funny because in India this is called religion. but in the religion-adverse west and other places, it takes on the thin veneer of theoretical science. lol

    now as for your thought experiment. how do you feel? i think that's the important thing (as opposed to all the speculation about what other things could have been)

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  4. Perhaps the physical laws do apply to inexact things, like your anxiety. And to add on to it: did he already?

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  5. ^ Hi, M.

    How we all wish Hawking's A Brief of History of Time can explain things. The best it can offer is a minor tautology: "Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can never prove it."

    And so in your case, this means that you are not really certain, unless he doesn't do so for eternity. See? (Hard-earned) solace.

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  6. Intelligent post. Very very brainy :) Wish there was something I could say, other than praises but I think I had enough physics today.

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  7. Of all the million decisions we make each day, how many alternate universes do we have? And how many of those have us smiling at the camera, frozen mid-jump as the end credits roll? If you think of it that way, the odds are totally against our happiness. lol

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  8. parang source code story ito. you know sometimes i wonder how the parallel universe me is doing... and oh, i wish the parallel universe version of you is doing well with this guy. :D

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  9. haha good research and "application" of physical laws!

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  10. your prose reminds me of victor. or are you victor? XD

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  11. In my alternate reality, everything is perfect, and everyone does things that they are supposed to do. Don't worry about him not calling you. This is a well-written post.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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