You are not Schrödinger's cat

April 16, 2025

“The degree to which a person can grow is directly proportional to the amount of truth they can accept about themself without running away” -Leland Val Van De Wall


Schrödinger's cat is a famous paradox that critiques the idea that observation creates reality. The basic idea is a hypothetical where a cat is placed in a box with poison that it has a 50/50 chance of consuming. While the box remains closed, we are unaware whether the cat is dead or alive. Quantum mechanics would argue that without observation of the feline, there exists two realities where it is dead in one and alive in another. It is not until the box is open that your observation inflicts death or life on the cat.

“That’s absurd” is probably a healthy response to this idea, and that was Schrödinger's point. Observation doesn’t create reality and yet we behave as if it does. Here’s some examples:

You won’t take a genetic test so you don’t have to cope with any possible illnesses.

You won’t step on the scale because the number may be painful.

You won’t check your credit card statement before the weekend because that may just ruin the fun.

Remember, you are not Schrödinger's cat. You’ll still be sick, fat, and broke whether or not you open the box. But if you open the box, you may just be able to change.