I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that we might live in a simulation, and, by extension, that not all of us are actual players. I am constantly wondering if certain people, or even certain groups of people (bus drivers and golfers…) are NPCs – non-player characters. They are still players in the game of our world, but they are computed, and ultimately lack souls.
While I haven’t gone mad yet, I do look for indicators that there may be NPCs among us. The idea of bus drivers is down to two factors – I’ve never met one outside of a bus, and they seem to have a similar look. And golfers, even though I have played and enjoy golf, tend to be absolute wankers. In my opinion.
Keith Urban has bothered me for a long, long time. He looks computer-generated, and he always looks the same. His music is bland and calculated (and very popular). Yet in interviews I see hints of being human, and likeable in a real person way.
OK, I have checked out his look over the years, and the sameness seems to only be since he has been with Nicole Kidman.
“Our Nicole” is similar, so of course they are a couple. I have known people who knew Nicole Kidman back in the BMX Bandits days, and by all accounts she was normal then.
Tom Cruise – the obvious connection – is similar again. Exceedingly good at what he does, highly likeable, seemingly quite normal when he was younger… but indications that he isn’t like the rest of us.
All this has been in the back of my mind until now. John Legend is huge in the USA, but not so much here in Australia. He has the same “perfect” vibe and pleasing everyone-ness.
I understand well the pain of losing a baby before it is born. It is a heartbreaking aspect of motherhood that many women experience. Up to 15% of known pregnancies result in miscarriage. Actual numbers in those early months are probably much higher. It is generally accepted not to announce a pregnancy until the 4th month begins.
After week 12, the miscarriage rate is 5%. After 20 weeks, a baby that dies before or during birth is stillborn, and fortunately only one in 137 pregnancies (Australian stats) are stillborn.
Stillborn babies are not common, but also happen all the time. The US has 3.7 million births per year, so roughly 27,000 stillborn babies. Seventy-four every day. Three per hour.
A stillborn baby is an intensely private and emotional experience. Because almost certainly family and friends know of the pregnancy, they are part of the heartbreak as well. Stillborn children are typically buried, named and remembered. It is real and lived.
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have made very public their grief of losing their son, and this image generated 11 million likes on Instagram:
I get it – they have found an “issue” that they feel needs publicising (I strongly disagree) and are manoeuvring to be spokespeople. In a studied, calculated way.
But when combined with John Legend’s image, I smell a rat. I sense a NPC. And conveniently it is impossible to say anything negative about this. That is how the NPCs operate – first and foremost they never offend.
We can only discover them by what they lack – variation and ragged soul.
Hypothesis – some people, when they reach a certain level of success, are forced to vacate the game that our reality is, and are replaced by a NPC. The artificial intelligence behind the NPCs has recently taken a woke angle, which I am calling New Woke.
The above is a thought experiment, for entertainment purposes only, not intended to be taken seriously, and in no way mentions Scientology.