Definitive Proof we Aren’t Living in a Matrix

I’ve written before that I believe our existence has a high probability of being a computer simulation, a matrix. I still believe this, in a sense, and I can also definitively disprove it. In my previous article, I used the word “matrix” as a shorthand for a simulated reality because everyone is familiar with the concept. I still believe the simulation theory could be true, but it’s undeniable we are not living in anything like the computerized dreamworld from the Wachowski films. How do I know this? Simple. This is too gotdanged stupid. 

The Evil Robots Want Us Alive

In the Matrix films, the basic idea is that human beings are kept enslaved in a virtual world. In the real world, they are harvested for their body’s energy by the machines who use that energy as fuel. We’re treated the same as dairy cows, essentially. So, it stands to reason that the machines want as many humans alive as possible. More humans equals more energy. 

Furthermore, humans who die in the Matrix, die in the real world. Morpheus explains to Neo in the first film that “your mind makes it real” and “the body cannot survive without the mind.” So, every mass death event inside the Matrix would mean a mass death event in the real world and a massive decline in the amount of energy produced for the machines. 

The 21st Century has seen far more mass death events than a 21st Century world should ever see. 

Let’s assume that the Matrix is set in the United States. In the United States, about 173,000 people die every year due to abnormal temperatures. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, about 800,000 Americans have died. 12,000 Americans die annually due to gun violence.  Before the pandemic, roughly 45,000 Americans were dying annually due to a lack of adequate health insurance. That doesn’t account for coal-fired power plants, workplace accidents, unsafe driving conditions, or wars of opportunity. Still, excepting those mass death events, roughly 1.3 million Americans have died unnecessarily in 2020 and 2021. That’s about .4 percent of all Americans. 

Is a .4 percent reduction in production an acceptable loss to the machines? I should think not. 

Now, Let’s Talk About Republicans

The Republican Party has become the party of mass death. With respect to abnormal temperatures, they routinely pretend climate change isn’t happening. They pretend masks and vaccines aren’t effective against COVID-19. They support more and more deadly firearms. They oppose expanding health insurance. With respect to every mass death event I’ve outlined, they are fundamentally pro-death. Furthermore, they’re poised to win control of the House, the Senate, and the majority of state legislatures in 2022. That means more mass death is on the horizon. 

Is there any logical reason for the machine overlords to support the mass death of their cash cows? I should think not. 

If This Were the Matrix, It Would Make Sense

If we were truly living in the Matrix, we would likely be living in a socialist utopia of health insurance, low violence, and sustainable energy. Agent Smith tells Morpheus in the first film that the Matrix is designed to resemble human civilization with all of its depredations and indignities because humans rejected a heaven-like utopia. Okay, that’s fair. However, there are human beings in our world who don’t experience most of these mass death events; we call them Europeans. So, it stands to reason that we would readily accept a world without kindergarteners being gunned down at school. 

Nevertheless, that’s the world we live in. 

In summation, we can’t be living in the Matrix, because this makes no gotdanged sense. However, there is one final theory. 

This Is All a Video Game and the Player Sucks

I previously stated that reality could be something like a big video game. I feel I’ve proven that we’re not living in a Matrix designed to power evil robots. However, that doesn’t mean we’re not living in an absurdly advanced video game. If that’s the case, whichever alien is playing Human Civilization 2022 really needs to turn down the difficulty because they’re losing the game.