♤ As particles move through the universe they acquire mass by interacting with the Higgs field.

♤ One way to imagine the Higgs field is to imagine trying to walk through a pool: The water pushes against you making you feel heavier, and making it harder for you to move. This effectively generates inertia or mass.

♤ Of course, one can climb out of the pool and walk normally. But particles can never escape the Higgs field since it is everywhere, including the vacuum of space.