Sorry I’m depressed af and need answers. Are y’all even real? What if y’all are just part of the program to torture me? What if this is a test? What if this is a VR simulation and the societal collapse is just moral character test to see if I would be do anything about it? Like imaginr a society in the far future like 26th century and in a history class where people are wondering “why didn’t the 21st century humans rise up against their oppressors” and then this VR simulation is just testing the students “what would you have done”
(Sorry for the bizzare question, its just brain chemicals acting weird today :P)
The simulated universe hypothesis is not impossible, nor is Azathoth’s dream (essentially the same scenario just in neurons rather than silicon or whatever). But even if the universe is purely material it doesn’t make us more or less real.
We’re tiny. If we vanished next century, the universe would thrum on not even noticing.
So there are no rules. You exist for whatever, or npt for whatever.
However, we assume every menace has agency (part of our survival programming) and we anthropomorphize concepts like death or time or nature. So you can assume we all have the agency of a rainstorm or a wildfire, and be fine.
I lost a lot this year, including my society. So I don’t have any real answers. I continue on in a leap of faith that I’ll see light again if I continue down the tunnel. Even if its an oncoming train.