The Telltale of Schrödinger’s Cat: When Two Sides Belong Together
“When I hear of Schrödinger’s cat, I reach for my pistol.” — Stephen Hawking (English Theoretical Physicist)
The Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. It’s a story about nerds who hang out together. Kinda reflects my own life, maybe that’s why I’m so hooked. Often in this show, they introduce the audience to a science concept that none of us knew beforehand. One of the concepts that caught my attention is a story about Schrödinger’s Cat.
Schrödinger’s Cat is actually a brilliant analogy that is used to explain quantum superposition. Superposition is the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at the same time until it is measured. Same as the cat which is in the form of both alive and dead (multiple states), we will never know the actual state until we decided to open the box (measured).
Relax… I’m not gonna talk about quantum superposition in this story, I’m no Physicist 😂 Rather than that, I would like to talk about this fascinating concept and how often we face Schrödinger’s Cat in our daily lives.
1. Are You Positive?
The most relatable moment that I’ve experienced a Schrödinger’s Cat situation was during the pandemic era. One time, our group of friends decided to celebrate new year’s eve together. Unfortunately, one friend just told us that they’ve been in contact with a positive person within 24 hours. New year is hours away, and there’s no time to do PCR. They asked, “What now? Can I still come?”. This is literally Schrödinger’s Cat. They’re now in a state of both “positive” and “negative”, cause they’re maybe or maybe not infected with Covid-19 until we test them (open the box).
2. World Is Full With Schrödinger’s Cat
The case above is only one of many Schrödinger’s Cat that we often find in our daily lives. Ever heard of this famous joke? I don’t mean to be impolite, but here it is:
Husband: “I bet you can’t make me feel happy and sad simultaneously”
Wife: “Among all your friends, your dick is the best”
This is a perfect example to explain Schrödinger’s Cat 😂
The world is actually full of Schrödinger’s Cat. Life is full of things that are both “good” and “bad” at the same time. “White lies”, whatever the reason is — are still a lie, a practice that is considered bad. If you have a friend who constantly nags you about your health… yes they irritate you, but on the other hand, they actually care about you. You might have a boss that gives you a hard time in the office, but who knows… maybe they have high expectations for you and want you to grow.
Things can’t be easily treated as good or bad. It’s about how we “measure” it. From what angle do we want to see the problem in.
The world is no simple “black” and “white” that you can easily determine. There’s no such thing as “pure evil” and “perfectly good”. Those only exist in fairy tales. Life is in the grey area. Life is the telltale of Schrödinger’s Cat.
Bonus
