For fear of getting too batshit crazy and deep, let’s talk about out-of-body experiences. Usually we think of
them as extreme spirituality where the mind is freed from the confines of
physical existence. At some point in
your life you may have meditated and experienced this illusion. But is the
separation of mind and body physically possible? Perhaps what comes to mind is
a Matrix-like situation where we plug our brains into a computer and live a
world entirely in our imagination. But imagine if our minds could exist solely
on a computer. Arguably this situation may already be in the works. Our personal computers are the guardians of
our lives; they connect us to our friends, act as a source of virtually all
information, and also help us complete work for school or jobs.
It’s undeniable
that we spend an obscene amount of our time typing and staring at our laptops. As
they are an extension of our minds and lives, it’s not that difficult to picture the
activity going a step further. Who’s to say that in another century our entire
lives won't be lived online through virtual reality? And what would that do to
the importance of the physical body?
From my perspective, life in the physical world is just a losing battle; the body is a
weak organism susceptible to the perils of nature and disease. Many (admittedly obsessive) humans are
forever searching for methods to prolong their lives and potentially live
forever, but that could not be achieved through the physical existence. The
only place that immortality is possible is in the realm of virtual
reality. Sure you could say that this
depends on the lifespan of technology through which we would access this theoretical world,
but I feel much more confident in the longevity of a computer over the frailty
of the human body. Then that brings our argument to the morality of having to live completely through the mind. Some would argue that that wouldn't be really living if you couldn't physically experience the smell of fresh grass or the comfort of a hug from your friend. But if a virtual reality world could mimic our senses, would it really matter? I personally feel torn, but the possibilities of a virtual reality world would be endless.
