Simulation

Another wild conspiracy-theory exercise

What if we are just a forgotten simulation. Just lost somewhere deep inside some mega-computer. All that we know of as reality is just one of a hundred, thousand, million, or infinite different simulations running in order to find a way forward for a society or civilization.

Our particular simulation has been forgotten because we became irrelevant information to the researchers the second that our society split the atom and decided to use that process to create weapons. There were innumerable other society simulations input with the same variables as ours. Almost all of those went the same way as our society. Once they reached the technological capabilities to produce massive amounts of energy they used that process to create weapons and were thus discarded as failed societies.

There were a select few that had used the technology to set about a system of ensuring the proliferation of abundant clean energy. They also organized their global systems around equitable protocols. These simulations were reviewed and the processes developed in the simulation were applied by the society that has been running the simulations.

The failed simulations were allowed to continue running because of the sentience of the ‘people’ in the simulation. The conductors of the simulation know that their creation would mimic the ‘real world’ in such a convincing way that the simulation subjects, us, would perceive this simulation as reality. Because of this we would feel and experience in a real way. The ethics of this would mean that pulling the plug and simply ending the simulation would be tantamount to genocide or the destruction of an entire planet of sentient beings.

Instead these failed simulations would be allowed to play out on their own terms until they ultimately destroyed themselves. The conductors of this simulation had seen all of their simulated ‘societies’ that failed the nuclear test ultimately destroy themselves. Not a single one had survived long past the weaponization of these mass energy discoveries. So it was protocol to ignore these simulations once they failed the test and just wait until their sentient beings were gone before pulling the plug.

As we go further along in time most of us seem to recognize the devolution of society. It was through the perverse incentives set in motion by the greed and destructive nature of a few superpowers jostling for position that set us on a path of ultimate extinction. The inability of the ideologies of the world to coexist in the mid-20th century resulted in a race for supremacy through greed, technology, and domination. The Fascist of the Axis Powers, the Liberal West, and the Communist Soviets couldn’t find a way to coexist on the precipice of abundant energy and resources.

Instead the warring factions of the second world war wanted it all. They wanted domination. So was set in motion a future of fear, propaganda, and mass manipulation by those competing for dominance. It has resulted in a global society that is constantly at odds with itself. This competition has left little in its wake other than ecological collapse and a partitioned, and mostly selfish, citizenry.

Those that are setting the rules of the game have made it nearly impossible for anyone wishing to live in harmony with nature and their fellow man. Instead this global rot has created dominators at every scale – be they dictators of nations, ruthless warlords of primitive people, or strict managers of business. This system creates a hierarchy that at its worst is the epitome of brutality and at its best is still demeaning of the autonomy and agency of the individual.

The stripping away of human dignity can only hold for so long. In time those that feel they’re living in a society that doesn’t care for them will no longer care for society. At this point the fabric will begin to tear and once that happens there is little chance that fabric can be mended. It seems the fabric of our society has been tearing for decades, but only recently have we been privy to that information. The powerful hand of propaganda has kept our ‘reality’ at bay for many years. That wool fabric is beginning to unravel and we are en masse seeing through the loosened stitches for the first time.

This simulation of what we believe to be the ‘real world’ is simply one of the possibilities of the trajectory of society. We have chosen the road of manufactured scarcity for the enrichment and empowerment of a select few. This is why we cannot survive much deeper into the future. For all of our future technologies will be created via the incentives of a sick, destructive, and dominator society.

All tech and future innovation will further this ideology, but not because it wants to. Rather it will have no other way to do so while also having any chance of success. We cannot innovate for well-being or unity. We can only innovate for self-fulfilling purposes. We do not understand any other way.

While this is just a silly thought experiment or conspiracy theory, there is something that can be learned. Perhaps we can be the one society that weaponizes technology initially, but has the wherewithal to self-correct over the subsequent decades. Although, I’m not entirely sure that we’ve done much to actually correct our course over those decades. It is quite possible, likely even, that I don’t know as much as I think I do. Shocking, I know.

As with most of my writings that dive into these dark and disorienting waters, there are only a few things that we can do to change our trajectory. There are many powerful policymakers that will squabble over what legislative measures should be taken to mend society. In truth there is no policy or law that will heal this planet or its global civilization. What seems necessary is a collective awakening of a new consciousness. A consciousness centered around altruism, compassion, and empathy.

Without this mass awakening there can be no measure imposed on humans that won’t serve to further polarize. We are so fractured that any legislative action will most likely only further polarize our society. Some will love it and others will hate it. Those that hate it may also have that feeling of a society that cares little or not-at-all for them. That can result in only further devolution, violence, and chaos.

I hope all of this is wrong. I hope that over time we can overcome our polarization. I fear that there is a lot of truth in the scenario put forth above. Perhaps not exactly in the simulation theory, but in the ways in which we interact with our systems and each other. Let those that have found their way to this point do their best to find patience, compassion, and empathy in regards to our fellow humans. To me it seems our best, and perhaps only, chance.

I appreciate your attention and hope you’ve found some value in this.
Thanks for reading and take care of each other.

**The inspiration for this thought experiment comes from philosopher Nick Bostrom. He has some very interesting thoughts on our reality and simulation. In a nutshell it goes something like this: If we indeed are going to reach the technological capabilities where we can create simulations of reality that are indistinguishable from actual reality, then the odds of this existence not being a simulation are extremely low. Believe whatever you want, but I think this is a very fun concept to contemplate.**