In Helgoland, Carlo Rovelli writes that quantum theory shows us that "the world is better described in terms of relations" and that "nothing has intrinsic properties except in relation to other things."
To me, that means that we don't exist as isolated points in space. We are not like sparse dots on a piece of paper that may or may not be connected by lines.
Instead, we are all the culmination of at least one line, a thread that connects us to the vast tapestry of existence.
Since we are young, we make such an effort to see and define ourselves as independent points.
Yet, this concept of independence, of being solitary points, is nothing more than a trick of perception, a veil that conceals the reality of our interwoven existence.
Anything in this reality is the endpoint of at least one line, one connection.
This simple shift in perspective has massive consequences. In particular, it reminds us that everything we do impacts others and the environment. For instance, the food we eat may have been grown by a farmer who relies on a healthy ecosystem, or the car we drive contributes to air pollution. Even when we believe we are alone, our actions ripple through the interconnected web of existence.
I would dare to say that there are not even points. In geometry, a point has no size or dimension (length, width, height). It has no substance. Everything is made of lines and connections.
You are not just a point.
You are lines and connections.