Losing oneself in the fluidity of reality

Reality… What a strange word. It rolls off the tongue easily, yet it's filled with ambiguity. We often think of it as a stone: solid, tangible, unmoving. But perhaps reality is not a stone at all—it is water: it slips through your fingers when grasped, takes the shape you give it, and transforms completely when you blink.

Our mind longs to make sense of things. It loves order. We want everything to be in its place: a table is a table, the sky is above, and I am here, somewhere inside this body. But what if all these certainties are nothing more than habits? What if reality is not as fixed as we think?

Quantum physics quietly approaches and gently dismantles what we thought we knew. This field of science tells us that the smallest building blocks of matter—electrons, photons—can exist in multiple states before being observed. This is called superposition. Strange, isn't it? A particle can be both here and there at the same time. It can be both something and nothing. And only when someone looks at it does a single possibility come true. Observation determines reality.

At this point, physics becomes philosophy. Because the question now is: If there is no observation, does reality exist?

What if the world exists only as much as we observe it?
What if I am only as much as I appear in your eyes?

These may seem like simple questions, but they hide deep abysses beneath. Because the human being is a creature that constantly shapes reality with their own consciousness. Every time you think of something, you touch it. Every time you give something your attention, you change it. And perhaps, every time you look at someone with your whole heart, you recreate them.

Reality may not be a fixed structure after all, but a poem that vibrates with us. Like a verse whose lines are yet unwritten, it holds infinite meanings. The one we read is the one that comes alive.

Think of a starry night…
Before you look at it, it’s merely the remnant of ancient light. But the moment you lift your eyes, it finds its present meaning. Because you exist.

That’s why reality is born again and again, not only in the outer world but within us. Our emotions, our fears, our beliefs… each one shapes the way we see the world. Someone in love with flowers sees beauty even in their withered petals. A broken heart seeks sorrow even in the brightest sunlight.

Attention is not just direction; it is an act of creation.

And perhaps that’s why love is the most magical form of reality. When you look at another, you don’t just see them — you shape them. The eye filled with love recreates the object of its gaze. The observed transforms with the observer.

At that point, reality is not merely external but relational. I am someone else when I’m with you. And so are you with me. These encounters give birth to new versions of existence.

So reality is like the flow of a river. Ever-changing, yet always there. When you look at it, it seems still — but in the blink of an eye, it has flowed to a different place. Perhaps life is about learning to flow with it: letting go of the desire for constancy and trusting the waves.

And maybe, in the end, the point is not to grasp reality—but to dance with it.

Reality doesn’t belong to you. But it dances with you.
It follows you like a shadow, sometimes surpassing you, sometimes calling you back.
Every time you recall a memory, you rewrite it.
Every time you fall for a dream, you gift the future a new possibility.

So let us ask ourselves:
What is reality?
Maybe it exists only as much as we believe in it.
Maybe reality is only as real as a glance.

And that glance… your glance…
That is the truest reality of all.

With Love and Respect,

Burak Anaturk.

Burak Anaturk is a professional civil engineer. He focuses on sharing lessons from his life experiences, exploring diverse perspectives, and discussing personal development topics.
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