Know Thyself

When I was little, I was the typical nerd. My best friends were books. I was born in a house full of books. My parents (both writers) were always reading.

My mother was a literary critic, and every day we received books. At the end of the year, my mother had to submit several reports. Besides donating part of the books to a public library.

My mother used to put me to work. I got a few cents, for every book I read and wrote a summary. She didn't use the summaries for anything, but I learned a lot doing it.

In addition to computers, like any kid my age, I learned to enjoy video games.

I recently returned to playing the games from that time. And I noticed the constant presence of themes such as violence and sensuality. It does not happen by chance.

These are the lowest instincts of every human being. It means that every human being will be naturally attracted to it. If you look at games today, the themes are the same. Why would that change in the future?

We're looking in the wrong place.

What do I think about creating a world in virtual reality? I think it's amazing! What's the problem with that?

Imagine, for a second, if we could go back to Ancient Greece and watch a speech by Socrates in virtual reality. Such ideas would be inspiring in the age of narrative war as we live in. It could be an incredible tool to expand intellectual capacities.

But you might be thinking:

But wait, what if it happens in the worst way?

And I answer you:

It is likely to happen in the worst way.

Do you know why?

Because we are constantly preparing for it. Everywhere you look, you see dystopias. The most successful video game today is a dystopia. I don't need to name it because when it changes, will probably be replaced by another.

Dystopias are offered to us and, we accept that. Who cares about utopias? A similar word with a different meaning. What will this virtual reality look like? What do you think?

The problem is not with society.

The problem is not with capitalism.

The problem is not with the internet.

We're building a monster and finding it fun. That is the problem.

I think there is a way out of this. But it involves taking responsibility and elevating ourselves. From a higher place, we can see things better. And realize that all of this is being created by us. Or at least accepted by us.

Maybe before we talk about virtual reality, we need to talk about what utopia we want to build.

Which future do we want to create?