In the future, people will have digital relationships that invoke the correct chemicals. Humans will be produced in labs. This will control our population. Children will be raised in highly controlled facilities that nurture their unique needs and prepare them for high compatibility futures based on their unique variables. At times it will seem like we’ve lost our ability to make decisions but in reality it will be no different than now except a computer system will guide us in better directions that make us happier, more fulfilled, and purpose driven.
Category: Posts
We speak so freely and yet a simple statement can reveal so much. “There is a place in dog training for aversion…” I wrote that knowing what I meant but other’s see a shallow reflection. They see a cascade of assumptions that define my ideology. A series of partial truths and falsehoods. Everything always seems so harmless in the moment, but the consequences can be grand. You can be defined by a statement. And yet, that’s not even the concern. Who cares what simple minds viewing shallow pools think. The danger lies in the facade being chipped away by an intelligent mind. Noting down the nuance and subtlety of their victims. Our words betray us given enough time. They reveal the master within. Someone we may not even be familiar with. And once that’s captured, there is no going back. The damage is done.
Instagram might be the best social network yet. It’s more captivating to see life through imagery and it gets you out into the world. But more importantly it encourages you to be more aware OF the world. It’s completely revitalized long walks with my dog because each outing is a mini-adventure as we look for new and interesting angles on life. It’s also making me more aware of the neighborhoods I’m a part of and how they can be so similar within, but different from others. You can check out my posts here.
The Colorado Renaissance Festival
I saw all of humanity laid out before me. The clueless, dopey boyfriend who can’t take a hint from what his girlfriend was actually saying. The womanizer, at the most manly of carnival games, showcasing his muscles with a small harem cheering him on. The suspected pedophile trying to lure his grandchildren over to spend the night while politely resisting parents made every excuse possible. Juxtaposed, one table away, the great father leads his sons to a war veteran to show their respect. It choked me up as I watched and wondered how he became so great a man. Across the park I watched the acrobatic stage performers wow their audience with fire and tricks. At another meager and partially hidden stage a hobbyist made clay pots and explained his craft. Intelligent parents nodded on eagerly while their bored children stared off at the excitement locked away. An intelligent father with his UV protection goggles and perfectly trimmed appearance followed alertly behind his beautiful, but seemingly disinterested wife and child. She led, he followed. This was contrasted by the confident old lion of a large family leading his pride around the park, dictating where and when the fun should be had. The women of his pride followed with careful smiles while the children followed with frowns.
It is an amusement park built for commoners. A world of branded shops and cheap goods. Containing an image of humanity that is full of errors and flaws. People resisting the embarrassment of participating and creating a tension that was palpable. This force is inadvertently reshaping our minds. It diminishes creativity and erodes confidence. We will one day destroy our humanity to escape this fear and suffering while elite individuals rise above it. They see the truth of their actions and find ways to resolve them instead of perpetuating them naively. The top strives for perfection while the bottom becomes a machine. This is why it’s so important to carry the torch as soon as you can see it. To redirect that force at yourself in hopes that it saves the souls of those around you. Else we extinguish the flame that has burnt so many generations and all be consumed by the wickedness of social pressure.
Nothing Definitive by SMSHDW
Nothing Definitive is an enlightenment blog by Sam Shadow (SMSHDW).
Being Confidently Lonely
I am a lonely person. I wasn’t always this way, but I’ve had a foot in the door for a long time. When I embarked on this journey to solve the struggles of depression my loneliness increased tenfold. I stepped completely through the door and began exploring a foreign territory within. I was timid at first, never letting my vision stray far from the exit, but eventually I let go and disappeared within. That was four and a half years ago. Since then I have been exploring this world alone. Disconnected from others, but obsessed with life. During the first years I became utterly fascinated with the complexity and depth of reality. How I had never noticed it before is mind-boggling, but then I observe other’s and see the same gap in understanding. We are blinded by something in our mind and when you remove it you can never go back.
The primary issue that caused me to separate from others was a decision: I could socialize or I could explore. I was born an explorer and so the choice was easy especially since socialization had become almost unbearably dull by comparison. As a philosopher and explorer my work demands loneliness. Seeking higher awareness, carefully observing others, and reflecting on the experience requires isolation. People are distracting. Even when I’m with my friends it’s a partial engagement because their words and insights often cloud the experience around us. The sacrifice then is a trade-off you’ll have to reconcile: relationships or understanding? It’s not an easy path and requires you to face the unknown. To step into the darkness and destroy yourself. Choices I believe no sane person would normally entertain, but when depression awaits your return, the decision seems easier.
The result of this experiment has been further disconnection. I find myself a shadow in the world: separate, unique, and lonely. I stare through people and pass-by as if they didn’t exist. I have found them to be woefully uninteresting and insignificant to such a degree that they are like mere objects in the world. Creatures too consumed by their own precious thoughts to notice the beauty and depth of reality. And so I feel different. Wildly so. I will admit however that past desires blur the line between fact and fiction. I cannot tell whether I have constructed this illusion or whether it really exists.
What’s strange though is that the fear of loneliness is dissolving. For a time I considered it an objective consequence of this lifestyle. A punishment for my lack of integration. But lately I’ve circled back around and questioned whether it needs to be this way. I am friendly, open and honest, passionate, and caring. I have carefully selected principles. I am well educated and interesting. I contribute to the community. Perhaps what I’ve gained is well worth the loneliness. Perhaps I can be a good person who embraces a lonely lifestyle. If I truly gain little from the presence of others, maybe the world and what it offers is my only companion. I have been programmed to fear loneliness. I have been shown a healthy, normal lifestyle, and yet that lifestyle caused me to suffer immensely. I know I have undoubtedly disappointed some people in my life and yet I cannot steer my gaze in any other direction. I must walk these streets alone. I must ignore the safeguards of society for the uncertainty of this knowledge. I must cultivate and explore what it has to offer. I cannot turn away. I cannot go back. But I can be confidently lonely.
How to change your life for free
A large part of changing your life is recognizing the issues and understanding them. More so than brute forcing change simply because you know it’s right (for example, eating healthy, getting exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight). Once you see an issue clearly, you can’t help but naturally resolve it. Why intentionally make a mistake that is clearly laid out before you? This is why small iterative changes through recognition may be an optimal strategy for achieving your goals. You don’t need to go on a diet to lose weight, you need to understand why diet and exercise are important. You need to recognize when you’re being weak and become aware of your cravings. You need to recognize that your body has to process and recover from rich sugary foods just like it does from a night of drinking. Once these things become apparent, you will naturally adjust your lifestyle, even subconsciously or inadvertently, and lose weight as a result. The first 15 pounds of your 20 pound goal might be “free” simply because of your expanded awareness of the connected issues to “losing weight”.
Note: “Once you see an issue clearly, you can’t help but naturally resolve it” does not mean, “I’m overweight, I need to shed some pounds” or “eating unhealthy and not exercising enough has led to me gaining weight recently”. These are not clear understandings. These are shallow statements made by someone who does not understand the depth and complexity of the world. An example of seeing the issue clearly might be: understanding how foods are processed by your body and seeing the differences between organs treated with a healthy diet and exercise versus organs treated poorly. It may involve exploring a body simulator in VR that leaves a lasting impression on how amazing these complex systems are. It may involve research into vitamins and supplements, experimenting with different exercise routines, stretching, and yoga. It may involve meditation, countless books and lectures from experts in the field. It may involve personal observations of the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle and anecdotes from friends. All this, among many other related insights, eventually connect to form a neural map that enlightens you about this particular issue in your life. You suddenly see yourself accurately in the territory and realize what’s at stake. The conflicts and challenges you faced suddenly seem trivial and the answer obvious. It is at this moment that 15 pounds freely shed themselves because you are naturally and unambiguously inclined to simply correct your lifestyle. This is what I mean by seeing the issues clearly.
A Consequence of Multiverse and Simulation Theory
Preface: Multiverse theory varies in definitions depending on which specific interpretation you’re considering. For this article, we’re going to be focusing on multiverse theories that create infinite universes and thus will loop existing and past universes given enough time. Simulation theory, and simulated multiverse theory, states that existence is simulated in a highly advanced computer system. We’ll also be assuming that an infinite amount of simulated universes will be created over time.
The other night I was lying in bed thinking about multiverse and simulation theory and how it would affect my life. As I lay there imagining all the different consequences I suddenly leapt up and ran to my computer to take note of a realization that’s led to profound changes in my worldview. This theory and what it means for each of us may be of monumental importance and I urge you as the reader to thoroughly read this article and consider the implications.
Based on the preface above, duplicate or looping universes are an inevitability. Given enough time and iterations, our exact universe will loop again, atom for atom. And what this made me realize over the past week is that, if every moment will be lived again, why waste even a second? For example, imagine you live your entire life doing what you’re “supposed to do”. You go to school where you’re told to submit, conform, learn, be quiet, follow orders, etc. You go to college because it’s vitally important you get a degree so you can get a job, even though there’s no guarantee of employment, but there is guarantee of debt. You manage to secure a job you didn’t particularly plan for, but it pays the bills and you keep it. For a couple years you work there until a better offer comes and you slowly work your way up the corporate ladder. But unfortunately you find out that your degree only takes you so far and the highest position you can get is a senior position that does basically the same work, but has more responsibility because you have to manage “underlings”. You work these sort of jobs on and off your entire life, making a decent amount of money, but not so much that you can comfortably pay for everything you’d like. You work past 65 because of college payments for your kids and helping them along, and because you want to maximize savings before retirement, especially since social security is long over after the US financial collapse (we recover, but it’s not quite the same). Suddenly you’re old and approaching death. You finally take a moment to reflect on your choices and ask big questions like “what does life really mean?” You take comfort in the idea that after you die, you’ll go to heaven or just be dead and gone, and that you spent time with family and friends and things weren’t so bad. In fact, you decide it was a pretty good life (a heart rate monitor beeps next to you). Then darkness creeps in your vision and death finds you. But it’s not over quite yet. An instant later an infinite amount of universes play their hands with a vast array of possible timelines and alternate choices, and buried among them is this one, atom for atom. The exact timeline, ready to play again. And just as everything went dark, light bursts forth, and you’re born again, destined to live out your life exactly the same as before.
This is the revelation I had last week. That if there is an infinite amount of universes, and they can eventually loop atom for atom, then you will live again, and play out the same timeline as before. And what this should get you to realize is that every moment you’re alive and well is a moment you should maximize. A moment that, if spent unhappy, will be unhappy forever. For instance, after this thought had crossed my mind, I caught myself reading a news article that meant nothing to me. I stopped midway through and said, “why am I reading this? I’ve read this before and it does nothing for me. It doesn’t make me more happy or more intelligent. I’m just reading it because it was in my news feed.” The next day I was crossing a street, deep in thought, and a responsible driver stopped before the crosswalk to ensure I had enough space to get by. This behavior is something most people don’t do because they aren’t looking for pedestrians. But instead of me waving and smiling to this driver, I just continued on, and it wasn’t until a few steps past that I realized I would live that moment again. That I had the opportunity to spread positivity by wordlessly thanking that respectful driver, but I missed it. This realization is so profound because it literally impacts every moment of your life. It makes you ask, “what am I doing? Is this really the best I can do right now? Am I taking advantage of this moment?” It’s powerful and inspirational. It can motivate you to work harder and spread happiness. To strive for perfection.
There is another consequence to this realization, and one that many will probably not grasp right away. It’s that, unless we are the very first iteration of this timeline, your past, present, and future are all predetermined. Since you can only ever operate within the realm of possibility and this timeline will loop, and probably has before, you can only ever play out this selected timeline. Even if you know this. This can be a hard pill to swallow, but would ultimately be true if universes do indeed loop. You may think, “but I can be random and make changes, do something unexpected to change my future”. Unfortunately you cannot. Imagine you are the first iteration of yourself, with the ability to make all unique choices. When you die and a duplicate universe is born, would your future self, the one that is just as real as you, get to make new choices? How could he if the universe loops atom for atom? Even the slightest change, even a single new thought, is an entirely new universe. You cannot change your future in that sense, it is static and predetermined. It is also unlikely in the simulation or multiverse theory to assume you are the first because it is 1:∞, or: the chance you are not the first universe is infinitely more likely than being the first one. So abandon all hope ye who enter. But on the bright side, does it really matter? All experiences from your perspective are new and novel and even feel like you’re making them.
Again, I know this realization can be hard to accept because of the implications, but it’s incredibly interesting to consider. On the plus side, you will live again and experience all the great moments you yearn for, you’ll see your deceased family and friends again, and you can take advantage of this knowledge by making life amazing from this moment on. On the negative side, you don’t have free will and your entire life is predetermined, people who’ve drawn a bad hand and died young or suffered dearly, will do it again, it still doesn’t answer any big questions like why does all this exist in the first place?, and it probably destroys any precept of religion existing or an afterlife. It’s monumental and profound and deserves deep consideration. I personally have not decided on whether this is likely or not, but I have begun making changes to support it. I suggest you do the same. Thanks for reading.