Reality Doesn't Exist Until Observed

There's a concept in Quantum Physics that says the properties of particles doesn't exist in fixed form until observed or measured, and for me that all sounded like Mumbo Jumbo when I heard it about it years ago...until I lived it last week!

When I signed up to join the Buddhist monastery for one week with no technology or phones I was literally panicking on the inside from the idea of not having my phone for 7 days, such a scary thing! it's something I've never tried! not even for 24 hours...I literally have technology addiction (not proud of it) or I thought I did, so up until the moment I stood infront of that monk at registration and gave him my phone and laptop and got in return a wooden piece that says "68" which was the number of my locker...I thought I can't do this! I CAN'T DO THIS!

But shockingly not even half an hour, and I got occupied with other things that I swear to god I didn't miss my phone not even one bit! the only time it used to cross my mind it was when the day was over, I shower and lay in my bed in the darkness, the window is open and I can hear the sound of all the night insects and animals because in that room there's no AC or a fan and its actually HOT! so sleeping with the window open to the max was the way to go...that was the only time I thought..hmmm...it would be nice to have a scroll on X now, haha!

Mind you that was around 9:30 am, which is basically my bed time on any normal day! but the teachings finish by 9 pm every night and we need to keep silent from 9 Pm until the next day 11:30 am.

*Or that's what I thought, because I'm a nerd who thinks people actually follow the rules.

But 3 days into the course by the most random encounter, I was busy during dinner chit chatting about some random nonesense I don't really remember, and we were already 4 on the table (it's two benches infront of each other kind of table) but if you squish then 3 humans can fit on each side, not that I'd ever do so! I'd rather eat standing than squish next to random humans...but a girl did actually squish in the middle between the two sitting infront of me, I didn't pay her any attention not even look at her, because I was soooo passionate about whatever the heck I was talking about to the girl next to me, more like the entire table...OH i remembered! hahaha I was telling them about my Osho experience,

How I saw the Wild Wild Country Documentary on netflix, how they call him a sex guru and what not and decided to go to his ashram in Nepal to see what is it really about...turns out nothing of that sorts whatsoever and it's all propaganda, yeah something like that I was saying, and I didn't even look at that girl, until the topic shifted to Peanut butter, and I said....I had it only once before in my life and wasn't a fan and this is my second time in this monastery trying it now to see what everyone is raving about!

And everyone on the table gasped! and I clarified that as a Syrian, it's not part of my culture! we never grew up to have peanut butter, that's such a western thing (but the Argentinian girl on the table who let me tell you that girl talks more than me! and yet on that day decided to wear the silent badge, but she was sooo animated with her gesture that we basically were playing charades for her to be involved into the convo! anyways she said with her hands that also she only had it once and also it's not a thing in argentina)

But when I said Syria, the girl who squished infront of me who I literally just noticed now, said:
"Wait!!! which city????" and her excitement was sooo weird that like! why on earth any human will get that excited that I'm from syria, I said Aleppo, have you been?? (I said it sarcastically haha as like the odds of her ever being in Aleppo are like 0.001%), she said no but I know someone from Aleppo....and the rest was history!

That girl and I hit it off so well it was mad! literally insanity! like! I've never met anyone in my life who had such similar life experiences to me, unexplainable things, but for her it didn't require much explanation as SHE KNOWS!!! she already lived it! we talked for hours! it started with her saying:
"I've experienced so many crazy things in my life" and I said: how crazy is crazy? give me one example let me see....and she told me one thing and that one thing turned into hundred of things of both me and her talking and turns out what's crazy, is not that crazy!! as I'VE EXPERIENCED EXACTLY THAT!!!!

we literally skipped the 7:30-9 pm session just so we can sit and talk, there was a garden on top which had alot of stupas and Buddhas and people go around them in circles and whatnot, but mostly everyone was in class...except the slackers like us! and that's actually when I knew...I probably was the ONLY one sleeping by 9:30.

We were talking and talking and we don't have time! no watches, no phones no nothing! the only way to find what time it is, is to actually walk alllllll the way to the main area of the monastery to see a clock in the middle of the big yard, and it was something like 12 am, and yet! so many of our course mates were out and about, in groups, in couples, solo! literally bunch and bunch of them!

tsk tsk tsk....everyone was having fun while I was snoring my life away! haha nah not really, I actually would have chosen to sleep anyways but the convos with that girl were sooooo interesting!!! like what the actual F! and we both knew that we are only here for a few days and then she'll fly back home, so we gotta do as much talking as possible, and the days in the monastery started passing faster....

Meditation, teachings, food, chitchats, and repeat, we started hanging out in every break that time started passing by faster than the first days, and that's when it hit me....

Reality doesn't exist until observed

I got sooo caught up in life in that bubble within the monastery, that I completely forgot what's happening outside in the world...are we still in a war? did the two weeks ceasefire finish? what stupid Trump is doing??? all of those things that I was obsessing about literally an hour before entering the monastery....gone.

No not only gone, like literally erased! vanished! I didn't remember until the night before of the course finishing, as that day was a full silent day, no gesturing, no nothing...just me and my mind.

But even on that day, it was soo peaceful! so quiet! it was mostly sunny the entire week but on that day it was gloomy and rainy, so it was cozy to just sit and read the book that they gave us when we entered (which I finished during my time there starting from day one and finishing on the silent day), just chilling, meditating, even napping....I felt like I need a nap that I went to nap literally from 11 am to around 2 pm haha

To the extent that even in all the silence, my new friend noticed my absence and when she saw me in the next class, she looked worried and did the : Are you okay?? gesture....what to tell her, I napped for 3 hours 😂😂 I just smiled and nodded, probably my puffy eyes exposed me haha

Technically we weren't allowed to talk for more than 30 hours, up until after breakfast on our final day....the doomed day where we get out phones back! and that device of the devil which I was soo attached to....on that day I was dreading taking it back!

I saw so many getting it back earlier than the check out time, but I didn't want to! I was so anxious about it, so anxious to be sucked into that low vibrational reality outside of that monastery, all the violence, the injustice, the worries, the burdens, the sadness.....all of it didn't exist in that one week

The only thing that existed was..."peace" that's it! and some magic 😉

I can't believe how lucky I am, and how blessed! honestly in every phase in my life and where ever my path takes me no matter if I was at home or in the most remote area in the land...god always puts in my way the most interesting humans, god always makes me experience things that blows my mind! god always prove to me that magic exists...it exists for those who believe.

When I went outside and had my phone back, I didn't want to go back to observe the dark reality outside, so I just didn't, I literally didn't know what the fuck did Trump do or yap until the next day, and even then, I'm going on X maximum of 20 minutes and it feels like alot! I don't want yet to let go of the peace I found there....the peace I found within.

But it also made me realise that I am in control to what reality I want to observe, and it's only a matter of shifting my focus, for that deafening noise to be silenced...to cease to exist.

You know before going to the monastery I said I was looking for an adventure...and I got more than I wished for....So grateful 🙏

Peace out!