This is an intriguing question, as most of us for a lot of our time, are dissatisfied with our reality in the moment. Oftentimes we have no idea of how we got there. However, in order to change, we need a good idea of how we got there. This is the only way to make a different choice.

On another level we actually have to decide what reality is, because, if we know what it is, we have the ultimate ability to modify it. By analogy, since we know what ice is, we can actually change its form.

Let us, therefore, answer this question first.

What is reality?

As we look around and we see and feel what is around us, we find objects. We conclude logically, reality must be made up of objects. This is in fact how we began to look at the world in ancient times. As time went on, we began to investigate and discovered that each larger object was made up of smaller objects. With progressive subdivision we come up with the Greek concept of the smallest object, below which division could not take place, and this became known as the atom. Thus the atom became the smallest unique object, which was a subdivision of what we called an element. Elements eventually gave us our chemistry. With the advent of electricity, it became obvious that atoms could share and exchange parts. We were then led into the subatomic world. This led to the discovery of subatomic particles and the splitting of the atom, leading to the exploitation of nuclear energy. As we delved into this world we were to make a breathtaking discovery.

Subatomic particles were not particles at all!

They were actually probabilities, purely abstract, and that physically they could behave like particles (objects) or like waves (light) depending on how they displayed forces.

At this point we have to stop and say, what are forces really? In Physics we say force is defined by its ability to do work. In one way this is a copout, as this definition is in the form of an action and does not tell us how the action takes place. When force is applied to an object, it moves. While the force was applied an object that was in one place, it is now in another place. The direction that is created by the movement becomes a definer of the force. From this, it is evident that force is an abstract quantity that generates a magnitude (a measure of how quickly the object moves) and a direction (that defines how the object moves).

In physics such a quantity is named a vector. It has magnitude and direction. By analogy, a similar vector is the airspeed of a jet. In physics this force vector is defined by Newton’s second law, which states force generated is calculated by the product of the mass being moved and the acceleration produced when it moves. Acceleration occurs because its positional state is changed. Acceleration is a measure of change of state. State can be uniform motion or rest i.e. no motion.

As you can see these are abstractions. Therefore, at the subatomic levels, we have probabilities where forces may act and are distributed throughout space. The moment that these forces act they produce an effect. The cumulative effect is the observation of particles. The interplay of these forces from different points of probability produces the effect of the electron! They also produce the effect of the neutron and the proton, as well as the positron (positive electron) and the whole menagerie of subatomic particles with all of their exotic names.

The point is that these are abstract probabilities and forces. The forces, themselves, abstractly determine the behavior of the probabilities. The calculation and measurement of the magnitude and direction of effects do not create entities that embody the measurements. These measurements are simply a way of handling abstractions. This allows a skeleton to be formed by probability points, which have forces connecting them. The summation allows for perception of a summation effect, a particle or a wave.

Now we get to the real question. If we are able to make calculations to explain the observed behavior of particles (summation behavior of probability distributions), can we then use them to predict future behavior?

This is the underlying assumption of materialism or cause and effect.