Why does the straw look broken in the water? Because light moves slower in water.
Why?
The scattering of photons off water molecules isn’t the reason. Photons are very small and almost all of them zip right through the water without ever meeting a water molecule.
The actual reason connects us with the reality of light. Photons, the quanta of light, not only experience what actually happens to them, they also feel what could occur. The probability is quite low that any one photon might slam into a water molecule and get absorbed by an electron – and yet, all the photons are literally moved by the odds that it could happen.
The sum of all possible ways that each photon can move through water produces an influence that determines how all the photons move: it slows them down. Even the vast majority of photons that never actually interact with a water molecule move slower!
This everyday phenomenon is called the index of refraction, and it exposes the wave function to plain sight. We are seeing the influence of probabilities on the physical world – the direct effect of parallel realities.
Do you think I’m exaggerating or mistaken? Or are you seeing the straw in the water fracture reality? Can you trust what you see? Against all odds, you are here, where the tributaries of chance converge. The only real question remaining: Will you ever know all the selves living through you?