I listened to a speech by quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf, and one thing he said really impressed me.
Chapter 1: A Truck in the Quantum Universe
I listened to a speech by quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf, and one thing he said really impressed me. In a nutshell, he said, “If there’s a voice in you saying, ‘you can do this,’ then the voice that says, ‘you can’t do this,’ also exists in the universe. If there’s a voice saying you can’t, then there is a voice saying you can. You come across these as various paths. Wherever the observer focuses their look, that’s where they will head towards.”
As I was thinking about how this takes place, I came across a motorcycle accident on a TV documentary. Just as the biker makes a turn, a truck appears on the road, and the motorcycle crashes into it. The narrator said something like this about it: “The biker’s biggest mistake was looking at the truck. All bikers know that a motorcycle goes wherever you point your gaze. If he had focused on the space to the right of the truck, his body would have automatically steered the motorcycle away from the truck, and he might have survived the accident.”
So, here is the trick! In any circumstance you encounter, you can do it or you cannot do it. Something may happen, or it may not. This is how the system is structured. It’s pointless to make a fuss about a truck being in the way when you’re on a road, because roads have plenty of trucks, as well as cars, buses, and other vehicles. They all follow their own paths, but it’s only natural that you encounter a few of them.
There is a truck approaching, sure, but there is also empty space to the side. Wherever you look, the motorcycle will take you there, to wherever you direct your focus. It’s as simple as that!
Chapter 2: Three States of Knowing
After the article above, one dear soul mailed me and asked a very good question. I therefore decided to write a few words about this, both to address the question and to satisfy the curiosity of everyone else.
First, this is the mail I got: “Is it really so simple? I think those who accomplish what you say probably believe that it’s a simple thing to do. I consume myself when I can’t achieve a certain goal or consider matters in which I feel inadequate. When I talk to anyone about this, they usually say, ‘So what! Go and do it!’ Is it really that easy, though? When will I get there? Will I ever get there, I wonder? I feel like such a looser when I meet someone who has achieved something I cannot.”
To begin with, we have the “truck and the empty road” situation here. You are being dragged toward your inner voice that says, “You can’t!” and therefore crashing right into the truck. I can completely relate to this, because over the years, I‘ve smashed into that same truck over and over again. I felt like a looser, something inadequate and incompetent, whenever I was around people who did better than myself. I grew jealous of them, too.
Now, though, I pray that I come across such people. It is such a great blessing to meet them, because they provide such great inspiration. They show me my inner potential, the potential I need to bring out. Yes! Yes! You may have heard people say that the negative we see in others is our own reflection. Well, the positive you see in others is also a reflection, and it’s called the positive shadow.
When I changed my perspective, when I got the jealous, looser, inadequate, incompetent loser in me to receive inspiration, I noticed how I am surrounded with many inspiring people. In fact, when I get involved in a conversation, I pray that I am the least knowledgeable in the group. I pray to be the one to listen and learn. To be clear, though, I’m not talking about what happens when I’m around the know-it-alls.
At this point, it will help to explain the three states of knowing in Sufi mysticism. This model cleared up everything for me.
First there is İlm-el Yakin (knowing), which means you have mere knowledge. Next, there is Ayn-el Yakin (experiencing), which means you know through experience. Finally, there is Hakk-el Yakin (living), which means you are living what you know. For instance, the concept of Sacred Marriage represents the highest level of love and sharing you can experience with your sacred partner. You have knowledge of this, so you know what it is. This is İlm-el Yakin—you just know it. Next, you witness a couple living in such a Sacred Marriage, and while witnessing it, your brain forms new connections in preparation for recreating this experience. This is called Ayn-el Yakin, knowing through experience. One day, though, the time comes, and the Sacred Marriage is right before you. It’s staring you in the eye lovingly. You hold hands and embrace, kiss, and smell it. You are mesmerized. You know that you are reunited, and this is the very Hakk-el Yakin itself.
So, we create our experiences by going through these three stages. In such a context, being surrounded by people who are good at what they do is a great gift. When someone is good at what they do, they put their all into it. This is when God and the spirit are present. The one who gives inspiration to all is the spirit. No matter what a person does, if it is done while embracing the spirit and God, that person doesn’t even need to talk. His or her mere existence is an inspiration. So, considering this, even if people have stacks of money, it doesn’t mean that they are “wealthy.” Likewise, having zillions of followers on Instagram or appearing on TV all the time doesn’t make someone “successful.” Having sold 100,000 copies of a book doesn’t make a person an accomplished author. For such people, the energy in their energy field is not inspiration but rather spite. Spiteful energy can never inspire anyone, because it makes you feel like an inadequate looser. God and the spirit are not anywhere near. There is just the ego, me. And unfortunately, the energy of social media channels such as Instagram derives from here.
When a person knows what is what and understands who acts on which energy, he or she better understands what to focus on. Once you shift your focus, your environment changes as well. Many souls provide inspiration merely through their presence, and they begin to appear in your life. For example, of late I admire the “Aziz” character in a series called “Vuslat,” but I know that it is Aziz within me that I admire. By watching him, I connect the neurons in my brain, so the Aziz in me can be activated, and I can transform into Aziz.
This is what I say and what I pray for. May you be surrounded by many who are good at what they do. May it be so, so you may see yourself in them and evolve yourself accordingly. If there is an experienced biker leading the way when a truck comes along, I can keep my eyes on him or her and move forward. After a while, I won’t need the master, and I will be able to move forward all by myself.
I hope this is a clear reply to that question. People say to look not at the people who talk but those who make them talk. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk to you, you dear soul.
