The Principle of Uncertainty: How it unknowingly affects our lives

Written by Nigel G Kettle

As you may have come to notice, while life is predictable to a certain extent, it is mostly unpredictable.  Einstein’s theory of relativity still applies today and may continue to apply forever.   However, in his final days, Einstein encountered a brick wall as he worked on the unified theory.  His goal to unify the laws of physics, thus explaining the underlying logical order to everything, failed.  At the same time, significant advances were being made in the field of quantum physics.  One main component that separated Einstein’s theories from those of quantum mechanics is the uncertainty principle, which, believe it or not, Einstein’s religious beliefs kept him from accepting.

On the surface, where you and I live, it may seem as if the law of relativity governs everything. This is not entirely true. At first glance, even at the atomic level, things appear quite predictable, but when you break apart an atom and explore the electrons and protons down to the subatomic level of quarks and beyond, you find that the laws of relativity break down, and things become random and somewhat unpredictable, giving way to principles of uncertainty. Without making this too complicated, the point I am making is this: the principle of uncertainty exists not only at the subatomic level. It is present at every level of existence. As with everything we experience in our daily lives, you can predict different outcomes, but never with complete certainty, which path or course anyone or anything will take.  

Here's a simple everyday example. While you decided to get up, get dressed, and go to work this morning, you have no control over what will happen throughout the day. You chose to get up and go to work, but from that moment on, your entire day is filled with decisions you will make and those you won't. Your day is also influenced by the decisions that other people make and numerous random, unpredictable situations. 

Let me explain. Suppose you decided to drive to work today, and along the way, you also chose to take a detour to avoid traffic on a particular street. During this process, another car rear-ended you. Your decision to take the detour put you in the path of the car that hit you, but you did not decide to get hit—that was random. Yet, as random as it appeared, it was just one option from a long list of possible outcomes. You could have had a brain aneurysm, suffered a stroke, hit a patch of ice, veered off the road, and so on. On the other hand, you could have enjoyed a safe and pleasant ride, even met someone new. You might have heard a great song that made you happy or brought back wonderful memories, or you might have seen someone you dislike and gotten angry. The point is that every day, we encounter many random situations that can affect our lives, starting with the decisions made when we wake up.

Our entire lives are influenced by both intentional and unintentional random actions. Nonetheless, it's the unexpected and unpredictable nature of life that makes it exciting and intriguing. Think about how dull life would be if you knew exactly what would happen each day. As long as the uncertainty principle exists, the world will never come to a state of rest, or for that matter become boring, that is, of course, unless we become too complacent and allow our lives to be dictated by a set of “natural feeling’ unnatural routines. Like nature, you too must continue to change and evolve, or our lives are destined for boredom.

Life is meant to be interesting. We have been blessed with all the tools to achieve this, yet oddly enough, we just can’t seem to accept the true nature of things. We establish illogical ideals that run counter to the natural order, and we wonder why our lives feel so void of joy. Look at what we have become. Do you like the life you're living? Do you really like things the way they are? Just who have you become? What do you truly want from this life? Are you living the life you once dreamed of? Was it really your intention to be where you are now and to become the person you are? Is this your true path?

The bottom line is, you will never have complete control over your life. Accept this. You can plan all you like, and you should, but be prepared to counteract the unpredictable nature of things. The problem with most of us is that we are entirely unprepared to adjust or change our path when things do not go as planned. Don’t be surprised when things do go your way, and don’t give up. Make adjustments and push on. As the saying goes, “Life is not a bed of roses.” However, if you are aware and prepared for unexpected situations that will inevitably arise, you will be quick to react and compensate. This is one of the most essential parts of life. The more prepared you are, the quicker you can counteract and move on to more enjoyable things in life, such as activities that bring you pleasure, excitement, and more frequent bouts of happiness, ultimately leading to a more sustained state of peace and joy.