Your future is in
by Scott Edgar
Superposition so breathe
Be present today
Rooted in the idea of quantum superposition, this haiku reminds us that the future is not fixed, only possible. Obsessing over what might happen pulls us out of the only place we have any power — the present. In trying to control tomorrow, we lose today.
Superposition in quantum mechanics means that, until something is observed or measured, it doesn’t have one definite state — instead, it exists in all possible states at once. But once it’s observed, it’s forced to “choose” one state, and that’s the one we see.
Here’s a simplified breakdown:
- Imagine a particle (like an electron) can be in State A or State B.
- In superposition, before you look at it, the particle isn’t in A or B — it’s in both A and B at the same time.
- The moment you measure or observe it, the superposition “collapses,” and it becomes either A or B — but never both anymore.
This is the heart of the famous thought experiment Schrödinger’s cat:
- The cat in the box is both dead and alive (a superposition) until someone opens the box.
- Opening the box (observing) collapses the superposition into one outcome.
Further reading:
‘What Is Superposition and Why Is It Important?’, Caltech Science Exchange, available: https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/quantum-science-explained/quantum-superposition
Author bio:
Scott Edgar is a father of five amazing, adventurous children, he is an attorney and a poet. He has published two collections of poetry (available here) and is the host of the podcast, The Poet (delayed), which is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts here: https://blessed-pine-5317.fireside.fm You can follow Scott on Instagram @poetdelayed.