Uncertainty by John Hawkhead

switching off life support
we cannot know where
an electron is

by John Hawkhead

Due to Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, we cannot know the exact location of an electron at any given time. The principle states that it is impossible to precisely measure the position and momentum of a particle like an electron simultaneously. We can only describe the orbitals or energy levels where an electron is most likely to be found in an atom.

Switching off life support is a difficult decision that allows a patient to die peacefully when curative treatments are no longer effective. It’s a key part of end-of-life care.

Many people believe in an afterlife or a continuation of existence for the mind or soul. There is no proof for such beliefs, but if it were true, we cannot know where or how that continuation might occur.

Sciku previously published in cattails journal April 2022. Editor’s comment from the journal: John Hawkhead takes us on an extraordinary journey. It’s starting point is a bleak one. There is no guidance to the reader about the circumstances of the patient, but we understand there is nothing more that can be done. Following this information comes a phrase which fully captured my imagination. It appears to reference the uncertainty principle, which is fascinating in itself. However, the juxtaposition of this ‘phrase’ with the initial ‘fragment’ set up multiple chains of thought in my mind. There is the ‘death’ of the machine as it is switched off and there is the death of the patient. The cessation of electrical activity within their brain, which we believe is responsible for consciousness. These ideas lead me back to the wording within the ‘phrase’. I picture an adult explaining ideas of death to a child, and the child trying to navigate its way through unfamiliar terrain, perhaps even touching on the nature of a soul and its continuation after death.

Further reading:

‘Where are electrons located within an atom?’, CK-12 Foundation, available: https://www.ck12.org/flexi/physical-science/atomic-nucleus/where-are-electrons-located-within-an-atom/

‘The uncertain location of electrons’, 2013, Zaidan, G. & Morton, C., TED-Ed, YouTube, available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ROHpZ0A70I

Author bio:

John Hawkhead (@haikuhawk.bsky.social) is a writer and artist from the south-west of England. His work has been published globally over the last 25 years, including three books of haiku / senryu: ‘Small Shadows’ and ‘Bone Moon’ (available from Alba Publishing. http://www.albapublishing.com/) and ‘Four Horse Parable’ (available from Nun Prophet Press).

Read more of John’s sciku here!