The Uncertainty Principle (of Life)
Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle is a concept from quantum mechanics that says you can’t precisely know two specific properties of a particle at the same time. For example, the more you focus on finding its exact position, the less you can know about its momentum, and vice versa. It’s one of those strange truths about how the universe works—when you hone in on one variable, you inevitably lose accuracy on another.
Life, it turns out, has its own kind of uncertainty principle. The more you focus on planning and figuring out the future, the harder it becomes to appreciate what’s happening in the present. It’s like trying to balance on a seesaw—lean too far in one direction, and you lose sight of the other.
This has been on my mind a lot recently after a series of texts with her. We were talking about life after high school, how uncertain the future feels, and all the what-ifs that keep piling up in my head. Somewhere in the middle of that conversation, she pointed out something that stuck with me: The future might change in ways we can’t predict, but if we just enjoy what’s happening now, it’ll feel a lot better.
It wasn’t some grand revelation, but it made me stop and think. I’ve spent so much time trying to map out every little detail of what comes next, worrying about whether I’ll make the right choices or if everything will fall into place. But in doing that, I’ve been ignoring the moments that are already happening—moments that won’t come back once they’re gone.
The future will always have its unknowns, its messy variables that refuse to be pinned down. But the present is here, right now, and it’s clear and full of things worth noticing if you take the time to look. So maybe the trick isn’t to try and balance everything perfectly, but to lean into whatever matters most in the moment—whether that’s dreaming about what’s next or just being here now.
Because even if the future feels fuzzy, the present doesn’t have to. And if you ask me, that’s a pretty good trade-off. Especially if I get to spend the time working it out with her.
73, Daniel