What if we’re in the Matrix? Or everything you’ve experienced has been a dream? Or maybe you’re a character in a movie? When I was younger, I used to spend hours pacing in my room contemplating if I was part of an god-like being’s picture book. Theories to explain why reality isn’t real are numerous and inundating. Our imaginations are complex, and combined with growing technological capabilities, this can lead to many hypothetical explanations to disprove “reality”. What I find more interesting then these possibilities, is why it matters to most people that our lives are real?
What makes something real? There is no clear answer to this universal pondering. Is reality defined by our sensory perception of the world combined with our conscious thought? Or is reality only defined by our global scientific acknowledgement of what is tangible or can be supported with evidence to be real? Reality is a vague, complex topic, and defining it seems almost impossible due to the variety in human perspective of what it is. Personally, I view reality as just that; the human perspective.
Back to the question, why do we care if we are real? I suppose it could be due to the human need to understand our experiences in order to feel like we have some control over our lives. If we aren’t real, then do we have free choice? Does being not real make our lives meaningless? I don’t think so. What makes a life meaningful isn’t defined by the presence of reality, meaning is produced by how we view reality. Real or not, we can still have meaning.
This is life. Until you wake up from the Matrix, or end up in a different situation, this is your life. Your reality. Do you not like this life? Would you rather contemplate how this life could actually be a part of a bigger, more satisfying life? Or are you a fan of fiction novels, already accustomed to expecting there to be more to life? I am not sure, because I am not you reading this article. I do not see the point in wondering whether your existence fits the vague reality of real or not. Escapism or fantasy perhaps, both of those serving a purpose though they can both be unhealthy if one is not careful.
However, if being not real has more cookies then I would be more then glad to not be real. But for now, you are a human being with existential thoughts about things that you will never know. It might be preferable to worry about things you can know, though it is important for people to continue learning and pondering things that may never be comprehended by the human mind.
In the end, the definition of broad concepts make it even more difficult to understand them, and humans are good at avoiding what they know. Iff your worrying about if your life is real, try touching the floor. This is where you are, what you are experiencing.
