Quantum in a different light

Thought is not an option. We all think about stuff. Coming here, you're thinking about stuff. Wondering what's coming next. Seeking to discover more, perhaps, about the way reality really operates.

What about the basics? Scientists know quite a lot about the basics, they have the formulas that tell them how particles operate on platforms of mathematical data. This platform has been the bedrock of scientific progress for the last 100 years, but we're no closer to the truth of what happens in the quantum world as it relates to us, because most of the questions to be asked in this field are missing the basic templates of mathematical language from which to be defined.

Take gravity, for example. We know that gravity exists, and it's a force to be reckoned with as far as we're concerned. Even so, scientists have failed to find the graviton (a particle responsible for gravity) and struggle to define exactly what constitutes 'gravitational force'. Nevertheless, it's within our line of direct experience. We fall over, it hurts. We fall from a great height, we die. This isn't negotiable. So we have to 'think on our feet', 'stay grounded', 'keep a level head', etc, in order to manifest balance in our psychological reality. The language that relates to our physical experience of gravity is translated in terms used to describe psychology. This happens everywhere. Our moods, for instance. That's a great one.

In the quantum world, our universe is held fast in the grip of the electron. Electrons are negatively charged. Positrons, their positively-charged opposite numbers, come into this universe (from somewhere else - nobody's talking about exactly where, just at the moment) and are immediately annihilated by electrons. This annihilation process produces energy - a lot of energy, as you'd expect from matter-antimatter collisions. So far, explorations have been restricted to experiments wherein observers watch the behaviours of particles from a distance, and naturally assume that the behaviours they're witnessing only occur in the conditions they are observing. In natural history, too, this confirmation bias occurs, leaving scientists dumbstruck by new evidence suggesting that animals do things beyond the normal focus of wildlife cameras or zoological institutions.

Back to the electron-positron relationship, and how this may relate to our moods. When we are 'up', or feeling positive, we may be described as Sunny, Bright, Light-hearted, Glowing. When we are 'down', or feeling negative, we're said to be Gloomy, or 'In a Dark Place'. We know from experience that negativity takes hold more easily than positivity, that positivity is something you have to search for, create opportunity for, engage with consciously. And we know also that when we do these things, we must 'make hay while the sun shines' in order to capitalise on the energy which that positive situation affords us. Conversely, when we feel low, we can often get caught up in a mindset telling us it's always been this way, things will never be any different. We get trapped in an illusion of infinity that is not present when we are enjoying a positive track.

The quantum world holds many secrets. Unlocking them is not the privilege of a few key-holders with PhDs, for the door is open to everyone. The equations that must come to furrow newly-broken ground may be theirs to create with the language available (and a few additions to that language are likely to be necessary), but the seeds of creativity may fall anywhere, on anyone. Our Universe is not a closed shop. Your thoughts matter, they count, and they will contribute in the long run to the kind of world we live in. How many positrons you can capture today may not only make a difference to your own life, but to the lives of those around you, and so on, ad infinitum.