Sunday, 5 April 2020

This, that and Schroedinger's Cat

On a winter's evening, many years ago, I happened to spot a delightful moggy lying upon the bonnet of a car, attracted no doubt, by the still-warm engine. So, I whipped out my camera and - snaaap! When the picture fell out of the developer's wallet - remember those? - I gawped in astonishment at the reflection of the beast in the bonnet of the car, the rendering of the amber patches in the dark fur and the feline features all spookily distorted - no, Marie Kondo, I have never considered throwing this one away. The more often I look at it, the more often Erwin Schroedinger's thought experiment springs to mind, that is, in the world of quantum physics, a body can be in two states at the one time, both alive and dead.
Just now, I reckon, we are all a bit Schroedinger just now, having retreated to an indoor world of video phone conversations, spring cleaning, pursuit of long-neglected hobbies, DVD dance marathons, rolling news bulletins, and waving and clapping off of balconies. The big question is, which world is the "real" one, the quieter domestic sphere or the ebullient life outside the domiciliary walls? When the present difficulties are over, which world will dissolve into vapidity, and which will stay stubbornly real - or perhaps there is no "reality", only an ever-present present, dictated by a raft of circumstances in combination with personal inclination? - and "miaow" to all of that. One thing is certain, given the age of the photo - 25+ years - this marvelous moggy is now ascended to cat heaven, where her glorious fur continues to draw aaaahs of pleasure from the denizens of the Above. Whatever, stay well, folks.....

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