Chapter 1: The Nature of Worlds

Have you ever imagined being able to transport planets with just a snap of your fingers, instantly finding yourself in a new realm? I've come to understand that throughout life, we inhabit various worlds. Personally, I juggle numerous responsibilities, hobbies, and relationships, and transitioning between them often feels like stepping through portals into different dimensions, day in and day out.

There's the realm of my spirituality. The realm of my profession. The realm of my writing. The realm of my relationships. The realm of my athletic pursuits. At times, it’s challenging to recognize that the same individual exists behind all these facets, yet I know that I do. Adding to this complexity, I grapple with my identity as an Asian-American, where I find myself straddling the traditional, conservative ideals of my family and the more liberal values of my peers. This division extends to the political landscape as well.

The interplay of these different worlds in my mind can be bewildering. Sometimes, I feel like a shapeshifter, transitioning from teaching to running, and I wonder if I’m overanalyzing my experiences. Perhaps I am, but it doesn’t feel that way.

I often feel as though I’m constantly shifting between these worlds, unsure which one is the most significant. Yet, I find solace in the fact that watching a TV show transports me to another world, reading a book takes me elsewhere, texting a friend feels like entering a different realm, and even going to sleep is a kind of world in itself.

Recently, I've reflected on this notion of world-shifting. During the most challenging periods of my life, I wished I had reassured myself, "There’s a vast world beyond this." That was indeed true — a change in environment made a profound impact on my mental well-being. In the writing world, my focus is solely on putting words to the page. Conversely, in the teaching realm, my priorities shift to planning lessons, delivering instruction effectively, and managing grading, which often feels overwhelming with limited time available. Once the clock strikes 5 p.m., the teaching world dissipates, paving the way for the rest of my existence.

These distinctions between work and leisure exist, but can one genuinely separate these worlds when they are so intricately intertwined? I am uncertain, and I doubt it’s entirely feasible. Just because I’m not actively engaged in teaching doesn’t mean those thoughts aren’t present. Similarly, attempting to divide our personal and professional lives doesn’t necessarily mean we can fully achieve that separation.

When I spent time with colleagues, we adhered to an unspoken rule of avoiding anything that could reveal our identities. As teachers, we felt a responsibility to maintain a professional facade, shielding our authentic selves from public view.

We inhabit numerous worlds, and I find it fascinating how we seamlessly transition between them, akin to stepping through portals.

Physicist Sean Carroll advocates for the Many Worlds interpretation, a concept in quantum mechanics suggesting that the universe branches into new paths, leading to multiple versions of reality. He posits that all entities, from chairs to tables, are interconnected, rather than existing in isolation.

The Many Worlds theory is complex, but in essence, it suggests that an electron exists in a state of superposition, representing an average of all possible locations. We observe the electron in a singular position, yet it doesn’t have a fixed one. Hugh Everett, who introduced this hypothesis, stated that every instance of superposition actually exists: “It’s just that they’re in separate, non-interacting worlds,” Carroll explains.

This contemplation led Carroll to ponder the nature of reality, concluding that the only true reality is the one you inhabit at this moment. While multiple worlds coexist, his book, Something Deeply Hidden, asserts that we should navigate our current reality as if no other worlds exist.