Confined in the simulation

“The human mind is a compound algorithm that dwells on conformity.”

How many of us have come across this synthesis- turning the pages of a book or even listening to podcasts that give TED talks on ideas and theories that claim to define the sacrosanct workings of the human mind?

Friedrich Nietzsche, Aristotle, Lao-Tzu and many more. They all were stubborn enthusiasts who passionately followed their ideas. They made their impact, why? cause they broke the matrix and abhor the idea of conformity?

The intricate cells of the brain are made up of millions of neurons transmitting electrochemical signals that are capable of performing various functions. Each mind is capable of constituting the conventionalities that it receives from the external environment. And yet, we all grow with certain peculiar habits and moments that have an uncanny resemblance.
As a child, we learn from other children, play the same games, and are made to think in a set pattern like everything around us is constructed as an algorithm and we’re the subjects that are allowed to perform within that domain. Even though, we all function alike our physical attributes and human behaviour are something that set us apart.

Let’s look at the game of chess. What do we perceive from that? A couple of moves and one wins against the other. A player’s winning is solely acknowledged not on his tactical pursuits, but rather his ability to foresee the possibilities of his opponent’s strategies on the board and have an advantage over the other; for every move against him is rather a step forward than a challenge. But not everyone can become like Magnus Carlsen or find their Ikigai at the right time. The mind wants to be influenced by the majority, thinking that it’s the right thing to do because that’s how we all are programmed, to act and live in a certain way. And not to think beyond the surface level cause that’s the work of someone else who is proficient enough to do something about it. We somehow stop ourselves even before trying the extraordinary and drop the possibility to zero.

With time, the stagnation becomes our lives and we accept it. Even the new ideas that entice us as children become “Too old for these things” as adults. We gradually accept mediocrity and make our choices around that. The New Year resolutions keep on stacking every year and it feels like a ceaseless loop with no curiosity and no encouragement to get even the gist of happiness out of building new experiences. With that, we successfully become a marionette confined in this simulation, always wishing that our lives could be different.