Life In A Simulated Universe
“It is possible that I am dreaming right now and that all of my perceptions are false.” — René Descartes
“If we are living in a simulation, then the cosmos that we are observing is just a tiny piece of the totality of physical existence… While the world we see is in some sense ‘real,’ it is not located at the fundamental level of reality.” — Nick Bostrom
It is not our purpose to attempt to prove the universe is a simulation - that is a deep enough rabbit-hole in itself that the reader is more than welcome to indulge in. Some good starting points would be:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NkFemtrRZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRTC6xhis4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnl6nY8YKHs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzJN4YfUlqw&t=616s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_bXQvAjw9U
Our goal is to try to understand the purpose of spirituality in a programmed simulation because if all of our drives, impulses, quirks, and psychology are programmed, literally coded into us, then spirituality must be as well, indicating that there is a purpose to it. And what form should it take if one were to assume that we are in a simulated universe? Should we continue dancing around fires, chanting, praying, etc, or should our spiritual practices advance with our technology? Would it be more appropriate to gather around Shiva Nataraja at CERN, kneel before an IonQ quantum computer, or continue to revere the Creator in the ways that we already do? Perhaps a new doctrine should involve primary coding lessons to help everyone understand the nature of creation, or involve programming with physics and the study of Adinkra?
Is Our Universe A Simulation?
“Simply because we perceive the world as ‘real’ and ‘material’ doesn’t mean that it is so. In fact, the findings of quantum physics may shed some doubt on the fact that the material universe is real. The more that scientists look for the “material” in the material world, the more they find that it doesn’t exist.” Rizwan Virk, author of The Simulation Hypothesis.
The official standpoint of the Church of Thea Apo Mesa is that we are indeed living in a computer simulation and that everything in our perceived universe is a digital construct. Everything from the movements of molecules to the flight patterns of birds can be quantified and mathematically represented within the confines of a hard drive, which would be intrinsically real to everything living within it. Programmed rules, simulated responses, generated environments; all observable creation could be interacted with on some level. What could be more real than that? Bottom line, there is no 'up there' up there. This, however, in no way lessens the effect or value of being alive.
Whether the world around us was created in an instant by an omnipotent being, or programmed by a team of coders (or possibly created by an advanced MLA for that matter) is really a matter of personal opinion. Belief. Whatever feels right to you, the end result is the same, and that is that we are all here in this place, at this time. What is of vital importance is that we each have the ability to attribute meaning to things. We can love, or we can hate. We can value and appreciate those around us. We can choose kindness. We do not have to fear eternal damnation to attain these values, we are free to pick and choose what we care about. The most liberating facet of this concept is that none of us are obligated to do anything, or behave in any certain way. We are not slaves. But if this is the case, then why do all human cultures develop some form of spiritual practice? What is this need encoded into each of us to believe in something greater than this world?
We believe it is a simple and base recognition of the truth of our existence - that we were, in fact, created.
On some deep level we recognize this and seek to commune, or at the very least, to know our creator and it is our intention to determine the most effective means to do this by utilizing the wisdom, opinions, and experiences of as many people as possible.
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