Author Archives: Dre

This Post Doesn’t Matter

This clip is from a stand-up comedy special named “MAKE HAPPY” by a comedian named Bo Burnham. Bo Burnham is a comedian, musician, singer, songwriter, director, rapper, actor, and poet. And the irony in Bo’s performance is that he was given his lavish life due to Youtube, a social media site. He began his performance career as a YouTuber and his videos have been watched more than 192 million times.

Bo’s extremely clever songs, surprising one liners, and razor sharp wit made him one of my favorite comedians to watch. He has a much deeper meaning in his act than comedy. In a way I think he is right. Not to be one of “THOSE” guys, but social media culture can promote something that is absolutely toxic. It does great thing some of the time, but it also gives rise to a growingly superficial and sometimes even cultish population. Everyone is creating these polished images of their own lives that can be impossible to live up to. We as a people demand to be heard, so the market gave us Instagram and Facebook and other sites like them. Day in and day out you can see friends and family post pictures and rants and blogs about these that nobody is really seeing or listening to, but they will continue to do it for likes and recognition from their peers.

There isn’t really a need to hone a craft and practice for hours, because each ‘like’ or ‘thumbs up’ that we get is a mini dopamine spike in our brain. Causing us to perceive that we are appreciated and important. It is a trick that we know is happening but we fall for it every time. Results from a study done by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed that the more time young adults spent on social media, the more likely they were to have problems sleeping and report symptoms of depression. Even our attention spans took a hit with things like Vine and TikTok, giving us 6-30 second video clips and calling it comedy.

However, this is not all of us, there are people that realized that lack of shits given. So we use social media as an outlet, as a personal diary, as a way to network. Because it “why not?” Because at the end of the day the only things that are real is our experiences, our loved ones, and us. What is real is you. Despite the media telling us that we should focus on celebrities and people we will never meet.  We are the one’s living our lives, not them. In the words of Bo Burnham, “If you can live your life without an audience, you should do it.”

The Simulation… I mean the Universe

Don’t worry guys I am not a Flat-Earth believer!! However this concept is always fun. As we have been learning the mind is subjective. Meaning that the world that we see is only what we as individuals perceive it to be! Which can be cool, but it can also mean that there is no ultimate truth. The trippy thing about living in a simulation, as the video states, we would only register what we need to see. When we are in our room, do other states exist. What are they doing over in Idaho, or in Madagascar? Do they really exist if we can’t see them? What is over the horizon? As far as we know, everything leading up to our creation is nothing but concepts and ideas spouted by people who claim to be smarter than us. However, nowadays there are many different concepts as to what caused the creation of Earth and humans.

There are the two most popular theories in today’s world are the “Big Bang Theory,” and everything stated in the Bible. A theory stating that we all have descended from Adam and Eve who were sent down from God. No evolution was involved, just that a higher being made us in “their perfect image.” So if that is plausible and easy to believe, then this “Simulation Theory,” is no different. It’s a concept that’s just as arguable, it just hasn’t been around enough to gain the type of following that such other “concept” has. If you have ever played Sims or watched the Matrix, how would it be so hard to believe that the things we feel, the things we experience are all fabricated for us? My question is how are we able to prove this, to prove how one theory is a viable concept that people should believe in, but the other one isn’t. What is he difference between your religion and the mystery creators of the simulator? If you think about it, everything in life seems so calculated and it seems just as out of proportion.

Basically what I’m trying to say is, this theory is as fair game as a theory where all this life came from a collection of mass floating in space. Let us say we find enough evidence that we live in a simulation or that free will is real. Now what? I think we should just enjoy life as it is. Because, honestly, why bother with things they do not pay us enough to care about?