Introduction to Time and Mortality
An average life is a little over 4,000 weeks. My countdowns app suggests I have 1,745 weeks, 5 days, and 19 hours. It is rare that I open the app to look at the number of weeks remaining. Just mentioning the number of weeks that may remain causes some people to recoil at the idea, as if ignorance might shield us from the inevitability of our end. This introduces us to a profound exploration of balancing technology and real-world experiences.
Appreciating the Wonders of Earth
I very much like it here. All the people I love are here, and the people that love me are here. There is a lot to recommend Earth: books, coffee, pizza, sunrises, sunsets, most dogs, a (very) small number of cats, all 8 seasons of The Sopranos, movies, cars, planes, oceans, trees, flowers, boxing, college football, the theater, concerts, walking on the beach, and hundreds or thousands of other things Earth provides. These experiences underscore the importance of appreciating life on Earth's natural beauty.
The Rise of the Metaverse and Space Exploration
Right now, there are a number of tech giants preparing you to leave planet Earth and spend your time in the metaverse (or on Mars). The definition of metaverse is “a persistent virtual environment that allows access to and interoperability of multiple individual virtual realities.” This shift highlights the impact of the metaverse on daily life, questioning what we may lose in the trade-off for digital expansion.
The Quest for Immortality
Ray Kurzweil takes 200 vitamins each day in his attempt to cheat death. I imagine Kurzweil asking the Grim Reaper to wait for him to take his vitamins, taking so long that the Grim Reaper expires before Kurzweil is able to finish his vitamin regimen. Peter Thiel is also trying to live forever, investing in anti-aging technologies and taking pharmaceuticals known to cause cancers in an attempt to live forever. He might as well hope to be bitten by a vampire. These endeavors bring to light philosophical perspectives on immortality.
Dystopian Visions and Cultural Critiques
Yuval Noah Harari, the author of Sapiens, along with a number of intellectuals, believe our future will find humans wearing goofy-looking goggles and being drugged or medicated, a dystopian future to match Huxley’s Brave New World. This narrative fits into discussions on the cultural implications of digital escapism, as technology both shapes and reflects our societal values and fears.
The Impact of Modern Technology on Daily Life
Perhaps without meaning to, Steve Jobs sold us portable screens that, for the past 17 years, have had us all staring at them. These devices have more power over our time and attention than we realize. My smartphone has no social media apps, nor does it have any games, making it, essentially, a dumb phone, as I work backward to make the phone nothing more than a phone. When you look around, our technology seems to own us, instead of us owning it.
The Consequences of Escaping Reality
Some people try to avoid reality by using drugs to release them from pain, without improving their lives. Others turn to video games to leave reality and distract themselves. And, perhaps the majority of us walk around with a screen in our left hand, an object that is picked up and carried around more often than a newborn baby. The chime of a text, a notification, or a response to some social media post, and you are pulled into a screen.
Conclusion: Valuing Our Limited Time
I want to remind you again about the 4,000 weeks that make up a life. You and I have this reality for a relatively short time. At some point, we will lose it forever. The more time one spends in the metaverse’s virtual realities, the less time you have for actual reality. I, for one, have zero interest in putting goofy glasses on to swap the richness of reality for a cartoon world. I don’t even like 3D movies.
When you were in middle school, you would stare at the clock, and every second felt like an hour. Later in life, every hour feels like 15 minutes. When you complain about not having time, know that all you have is time. The most important thing for you to do is to decide what to do with the time you have been gifted.
If I want to leave reality, my preference is a book. Preferably a hardcover written by an author who can allow me to better understand what it means to be human.
