Alt Title: Truman goes to Glastonbury
After dinner with Allan Dafoe, I’ve been thinking more about the simulation hypothesis and how it probably has some legs. Just as I believe that there are non-physical entities or concepts that exist (e.g., God, Love, Existence), I’ve updated my views to give the simulation idea more credence. I’m writing this more as a thought experiment than a rigorous argument, but I find it fun to explore. Watching Pantheon has also totally influenced this.
Glastonbury Reflections
Glastonbury is an incredible experience; I love it so much that I’ve tried to make it an annual event where I see all my favourite bands play. It’s one of the best parties on the planet, and in particular, it reminds me that I truly love music. The collective intention of 200 thousand people living in a dense city of tents to experience their favourite music is something that I can never let go of. For me, British festivals will forever hold a special place in my heart - my first chance to be away from home; they were seminal in my self-discovery and helped me forge my personal identity; a large portion of who I am today was born at some festival at some point in my life (e.g. leeds festival, outlook, burning man),
I had a great Glastonbury. I went with Aengus and a group of friends whom I didn’t really know; they were lovely but younger (23- 25 years old), and as such, it reminded me that in your early 20s, friendships are very different when you’re older. In particular, you care a lot about doing this “as a group” and having a volume of people doing a thing as opposed to running around and doing stuff by yourself. This meant I, being rather independent, ended up running around a lot by myself, living my best - tonnes of solo missions. Another interesting confounder was that this was my first Glastonbury with no alcohol, and as such, I felt much more alert. For example, my entire Thursday day/night and Friday day was done sober, and as such, I paid much more attention to everything that was happening around me.
My first observation was a weird one; for 200 thousand other fans, I really did keep bumping into other people I’d seen previously. It was almost eery how often I’d end up spotting a face I’d seen earlier in a crowd somewhere at the festival. The second observation was that lots of people look really similar. For example, when you see thousands of faces daily, you start to really bump into similar folks alot.
The third thing was more personal - being in a crowd of 10,000 plus people really gives me an energy boost. It’s almost like I’m bootstrapping off everyone’s vibe. I’m wired (not only from the medication but also from the crowd itself). I’m remembering words to songs I’ve never heard, I’m feeling more emotional, and I’m incredibly present. I feel one with humanity.
It’s not the only time I’ve felt like this—distinctly, I had a similar sense of awe at Burning Man and when I participated in the religious pilgrimage of Umrah (a rite of all Muslims). In each situation, I’m in awe of the collective intention of such a large group, a joined focus of intention and a sense of purpose.
The Simulation Thought Experiment
So what’s happening at these large events? Why do I get such a powerful feeling, and what could this suggest about the simulation hypothesis? Well, imagine for a moment that we are living in a simulation running on finite computing power. In that case, a lot of the world might not be fully rendered unless a “player” is there to observe it, like a much more sophisticated Truman Show.
So what happens when thousands of “Trumans” converge at Glastonbury? Here’s a potential scenario:
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With many key “players” focused on the same stage, the simulation might allocate more resources there. The fireworks dazzle, the music shakes your bones, the vibes are extra high. Life feels amazing in that moment - like your world has been upscaled to 4K from its usual 720p.
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To balance this, the simulation might have to economize on rendering other elements, like non-player characters (NPCs). Fully-realized people with complex personalities and histories could be very resource-intensive. So instead, the simulation generates more low-res NPCs - characters without detailed faces (which could explain why they seem familiar), or simply background characters who don’t say anything meaningful.
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The simulation might also prioritize rendering “player characters” you’ve met before in your life, even if the festival setting would make those meetings less likely. So you end up bumping into a surprising number of real-life friends and acquaintances.
Again, I don’t think this is literally what’s happening. But as a thought experiment, it raises some intriguing questions about the nature of collective experience and our perception of reality.
Finding Meaning in the Code
I take solace in is that even if this is a simulation, it only makes festivals more mystical. The act of thousands of people together fundamentally distorts the reality around me; the observers do have influence, and there is a collective “source code” underlying our experiences. Maybe finding god is accepting this, its understanding the source code and your place within it. Enlightened people seem to have the ability to manifest anything within themselves as if they are programmes capable of altering their logic. Fundamentally, it gives me hope that even if all just 0s and 1s, there is probably even more meaning to it all.
Anyway, these are the philosophical rabbit holes my brain wandered down during my first sober Glastonbury. It’s wild to me that I spent all of Thursday and Friday turning these ideas over, marvelling at the power of human connection and pondering the nature of our reality. Festival season will never be the same.