The Experience Machine

I needed to sit down for a while, I desperately needed to reflect on my life and its worth. Would I really trade everything I have for an ideal virtual reality ? I must admit that I have never in my life asked myself that question with such vigor and anxiety. I blame myself for my curiosity -vile curiosity- always putting me in uncomfortable situations. After hearing and reading about it for months, I could not stop myself from putting a foot inside of that building, inside of that sect disguised as a clinic. I succumbed, I asked about the Experience Machine.

I am ashamed of myself. While I meditate about everything that happened yesterday, I am being delighted by the birds- innocent and talented creatures-, singing songs about love, life, and sorrow. As the breeze caresses my face and hugs my body, the sun tucks me with its warmth and passion. Being guarded by the shadow of a healthy and loyal oak tree, I cannot stop myself from feeling loved, protected, and accompanied. Why would I have ever questioned the worth of my present ? Standing at my favorite spot, I scream at the top of my lungs, “I don’t need your machine ! I don’t need your technology to be happy !” The eco delivered the message, the eco took away my stress.

I am excited about today, It has been a while now since I haven’t seen him. After I moved from the city it has been complicated for him to visit; therefore, we are going to enjoy this weekend to the fullest. His adventurous spirit always puts me to the test, I can’t know for certain what we will do, but that is the way it has always been. The positive aspect about living in the mountain is that you are in tune with nature wherever you’ll go, the good thing about living half an hour from the city is that it reduces your seclusion from the world. From hiking to going to a good play or a museum, my life has the best of both lifestyles. Having him here today, I am glad that this immense love for nature and culture has been passed down to my son.

There is nothing more satisfying that knowing that you did the right thing. I am happy I rejected the Experience Machine, because my life is perfect as it is. I am a young, healthy, and fulfilled forty year old woman who is in harmony with the Universe and who is in love with the world. I have a happy, healthy, and emotionally mature twenty-one year old son whose wisdom and love for live overwhelm and inspire me every single day of my existence. Because life will always be wonderful if you have love and support; to my family, my loving family, thank you… for everything.

I confessed to a friend a couple of days ago that I have found myself in a place where I am not comfortable with my surroundings nor the way I interact with them. In a short period of time I have had to adapt to so many different environments that I have forgotten about who I really am. The daily routine and the fact that I live apart from my immediate family in a foreign country with a culture that differs from mine, has challenged me to adapt to the situation while staying true to myself.

After paying close attention to what I had to say, my friend asked me -among many other profound questions- what my dream life would be like. The curiosity and seriousness behind his tone took me back to one of my Introduction to Philosophy classes, where our professor introduced to us the thought experiment of the Experience Machine. The premise went something like this: If you had the chance to enter a machine that would have the power to put you in a coma and make you live the life that you desired for good, would you accept the opportunity ? What would that life be like ?

In the midst of my “crisis”, I decided to go back to my philosophy class computer folder and re-read what I had written a couple of semesters ago. Going back to that place was therapeutical and, today, I wanted to share my experience with you..

Would you accept the opportunity ? What would that life be like ?