Philosophy
Are We Trying to Escape Our Reality?
The demand to escape our reality has been present for generations. For years we have wanted to find things that allow us to leave our real-life behind, even if it is just for a moment.
In the great words of Fredrich Nietzsche,
“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”
Suffering is part of life, and we are reminded of this every day. The mainstream media will always contain stories of unfortunate deaths or situations. In our own lives, we may experience illness and financial burden. And there will always be someone worse off than we are.
So, in this constant suffering, there is a demand to escape it. And with the rise of technology and individualism, we are becoming pretty good at doing so. Pornography allows us to believe we are more sexually active than we are. Gaming allows us to create a whole new life virtually, and who knows what the metaverse can do.
Before I continue, I would like to say I am not against being your own individual and having the liberty to do what you want. I believe it is a key component to driving innovation, and it is essential for our happiness.
However, if not tamed correctly, it can lead to problems. You do not have to look far to realise that the world has become more selfish and less trusting of others.
So, what is happening to our society? And why is there such a hunger to escape the reality of life we all have to live?
The Rise of Individualism
For the most part, letting people be who they want to be has helped us. History has taught us that constraining the individual to conform to societal norms often leads to rebellion.
COVID-19 protest is a reminder that individualism has made leaps and bounds. Now, when people feel like they are being forced to do something, they speak up. It is even down to the smallest details like personal pronouns.
Technology has further fed our desires to be individuals. We can now tell our stories on platforms like this one or share short ones on Instagram or Snapchat. There is no need to fear the views of others or listen to anyone you do not want to. And if people seem to be infringing on your individualism, you can “cancel” them.
We no longer need to conform to Western beauty standards or be told what sexuality we should be. We are free to be whoever, and whatever we want to, and freedom is what we want, right?
The Fall of Individualism
The problem with being completely free to decide who we become is that we must deal with the consequences of our choices. On the surface, this seems fine, but your individuality is hard to navigate.
With no one setting a bar or standard of what we should be, we are left to our own devices. We are left to make mistakes and fail with no one to turn to or blame.
Thanks to our overdeveloped brains, we struggle with making choices. And as society develops, there are now more and more choices to make. We went from choosing what to eat for dinner to what filter we wanted to use. And our options do not just stop there.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are now driving individualistic markets. Instead of having central control, we now have the power to control it.
We can make choices, but being left to do it all by ourselves leads to problems. That is why society has been formed on collective ideas. Not because we are not individuals, but because it is easier to navigate the suffering of life that way.
Once again, individualism has many benefits, but when taken too far, it is damaging. When left with infinite choice and no direction, we make the rules. And our individual choices are often self-centred and neglect others. That is why we have things like cancel culture today.
The world is beginning to realise that individualism was maybe not the solution to their utopia. Yes, it has helped a lot. Many no longer feel oppressed by the rules of society, and people have more freedom.
But with more freedom comes more responsibility. And with more responsibility comes more choices. And the more choices we have to make, the more likely we will get them wrong. So, we only have two choices if we seek to shy away from the reality of suffering.
The first is to allow people to make the choices for us. However, we have already tried that, and that limits our individuality. So, the second is to escape our reality another way. And that may be what is coming next.
The Fall of Society
So far, we have been slowly letting off the reigns of collectivist ideologies and allowing people to be who they want to be. In doing so, we have created better workspaces, more creatives and wealth.
However, we are starting to take a new turn. As we can access more lives through technology, we are confused about who we want to be. Social media appears to depict only one way of living a happy life, and who we want to be is becoming harder to obtain.
In fact, it is becoming so hard that people may no longer strive for it. After all, we already know that much of what we see online is only the perfect side of others lives. Yet still, there is something in us that wants to have the life others have.
Well, it is possible. What if there was a world where you were king or queen. You could build an empire and live the way you wanted to on your terms. You could not get more individualistic than that.
You set the rules. And guess what, if you do not like it, you can reverse your choice and start all over again. In this world, the fear of messing up is gone. And you can choose it to be your reality with what you want it to be.
The second option we have is to escape our reality of choice by creating a world of reversible choice. And in a virtual world where you can create a character and be whoever you want, you can do just that.
A virtual world always seemed farfetched before, but now it is very feasible. With the rise of virtual reality, cryptocurrency and the metaverse, we can now see a world where no one leaves their homes for anything. And in doing so, we can escape the reality we know now for an alternate reality simply by plugging in.
The Reality We Ought to Live
Life is suffering. And whatever we do, we will never be able to escape this reality. We can create virtual realities, let others make the decisions for us or have no choices. It does not matter.
How we perceive reality is vital, but what it means to us is even more essential. Our choices only have meaning when we have a reason to make them. And irreversible choice only devalues our choice as we know we can change it back whenever we want to.
Yes, it is fun and pleasurable, but that is why it belongs in games. Life is not a game, but a journey to be walked. We need to make wrong choices, and we must each partake in suffering if we seek to find meaning in life. Whether that be in a virtual one or a real one up to you.