I once briefly worked at a Korean startup that was building a quantum-related service. It was really brief—so short that I can't claim to know everything about quantum mechanics. But during that time, I had some genuinely exciting learning experiences.

Quantum mechanics had always intrigued me, but honestly, the scientific and physical aspects were hard to grasp. They still are. Haha.

Here's the ultra-condensed version: Planck said energy comes in tiny packets called "quanta." Einstein proved it with photons. Bohr figured out electrons jump between energy levels—the famous "quantum leap." Put it all together, and you get this: everything we think of as solid matter is actually vibrating energy. Even "empty" space isn't really empty—particles pop in and out of existence constantly.

(For the full history, Wikipedia's got you covered. I'll spare you the lecture…. Lol)

Okay, that was the so boring quantum history lesson.

Seriously, I really don't like academic stuff…. : B

The Big Question in Quantum Mechanics

You've probably heard of Schrödinger's cat.

The idea is simple but mind-bending: until you observe, you don't know. Everything exists in a state of probability, and observation collapses it into reality.

When I first heard this, I was like... what?

But here's the thing—isn't life kind of the same?

Before I make a choice, every possibility is technically open. Will I drink water when I wake up? Will I brush my teeth first? Will I even wake up at that exact moment? Before any of it happens, it's all just probability.

(This might be why we're so fascinated by parallel universe stories like Everything Everywhere All at Once—the idea that every choice splits into another reality.)

Why vs. How

People ask, "Why do we exist?" But that question is almost impossible to answer—it depends on values, philosophy, religion. Things that vary from person to person.

Science takes a different approach. It doesn't ask "why." It asks "how."

How do we exist?

And maybe that's the more useful question. Because in a quantum sense, we exist by observing—by choosing.

Every choice collapses infinite possibilities into one reality. The act of choosing is the act of existing.

So maybe "why do we exist" and "how do we exist" aren't really different questions. The answer to "why" might be found in the "how"—in the choices we make, moment by moment.

The Quantum Nature of Life

I can't prove or fully understand the physical and scientific facts about quantum mechanics. But through this lens, life itself seems like a quantum phenomenon—existing within countless options and observations.

From a quantum perspective, "life" isn't a fixed state of being. It exists as something probabilistic, superposed. We only experience life in the moments we perceive it, and only then does it become real.
Just as time itself can be seen as superposed, with infinite possibilities existing simultaneously, our lives seem to contain boundless potential.

So here's what I've come to feel: viewing life through quantum mechanics suggests that existence is both nothing and infinite at the same time.

This isn't just a concept confined to physics textbooks—it's a profound insight that reshapes how we understand existence and perception. And somehow, I got to experience this realization not just intellectually, but viscerally.

Here's a YouTube video I found fascinating. Give it a watch.