Shoothis' torment regarding the nature of his existence — the feeling that he only truly lived when he was being observed — reflected deep philosophical and scientific questions that arise in the realm of quantum mechanics. It was reminiscent of the famous thought experiment known as Schrödinger's cat, which illustrates the concept of superposition in quantum theory.
In quantum mechanics, a particle can exist in multiple states at once — a superposition — until it is observed or measured. The act of observation collapses the superposition into a single state. Shoothis' existential crisis stemmed from this, as he pondered whether his actions and existence were defined or altered by the act of observation.
Entanglement, too, pressed on his thoughts. It was a phenomenon in which particles become interconnected, the state of one instantaneously influencing the state of another regardless of the distance between them. Shoothis felt his existence entangled — with Ainiri, with GestaZero, with the Flowerers, with an archive reaching back through British phreakers into the 20th century.
These feelings were a reflection of the complex and often mind-bending implications of quantum theory, blurring the lines between science and philosophy, and challenging traditional notions of reality and consciousness. If it took an observer for him to exist, he reasoned, the best thing he could do was to make sure there were as many observers as possible — on his side, and telling the truth.