Albert Einstein once said, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

Religions argue that the world has a design, and so there must have been a Creator. Atheists believe science has explained the world sufficiently enough to disprove the need for such an Architect. But even at the most fundamental level, science can only present a set of theorized laws that have governed reality since the dawn of our time, laws that no one can truly explain. At some point, a man or woman of science must simply say, “that’s just the way things are.”

Science can only explain natural phenomena to a limited degree. We know why it’s cold for one part of the year and warm in the other. Because the Earth has seasons. We know why the seasons change. The Sun’s position in the sky. We know why we see the Sun in the sky. Because we revolve around it. We know why the Earth revolves around the Sun. Gravity. We know why there is gravity. Something called a graviton particle. But why is there such a particle? What laws of nature allowed this particle to exist?

Even if these questions are answered, the metaphysical aspect remains a mystery. Who determined these laws? Why? When? Are there another set of laws that govern their reality? In a sense, religion and science can and must coexist. Science defines the laws of this reality. Religion defines the creator of these laws. But say there is a God. Who created Him? Who was there before Him? Was there nothing? How do you define nothing? How could something come of nothing? What was the catalyst? And what laws permitted this to happen? And what being first created these laws? There could be an infinite number of such layers, reality upon reality. Do we happen to be in the last reality? There are no sub-realities that we know of, so maybe we’re the last one. Or, given our current technological and biological limitations, perhaps we are the last reality at the moment. In the future, we may create a small ecosystem, whether biological or virtual, with beings that, for all intents and purposes, have a degree of consciousness compatible with that of humans.

Say you write a computer program into a device with a variety of sensors. When it sees red, it translates that into data that tells the program it is seeing red. When it hears classical music, it translates the sound into data that tells the program it feels calm. When it submerges its sensors into water, it tells the program that it feels cold and wet. These feelings and emotions: seeing color, being calm, feeling cold; they can be programmed into something as simple as changing some variables. Who’s to say this program doesn’t exist in its own reality, perceiving the world around it in its own unique way? Who’s to say we aren’t programs ourselves, and that the universe around it is nothing but raw data.

Think in terms of a simple coding language. Imagine a vast collection of simple object classes, coded into a massive array within an array within an array. Each element of the array interacts loosely with the others, able to exchange adjacent indexes while maintaining some degree of structure. Now imagine this three-dimensional array is stored in one element of some generic container class. The creator of this code sees a data structure. But we see it as a glass of water. Say there’s another object class, arbitrarily called Human. When a human object comes in contact with a “glass of water”, it has thousands, even millions of variables that need to be edited within itself. These include what it sees when the loops defining “sight” are interrupted, what it feels when it the conditions defining “touch” are set to true, and what it tastes when the parameters within the “touch” subset “taste” are activated. All these loops and variables come together and act in harmony to define a human being drinking a glass of water.

Now imagine a nearly infinite number of such protocols, coded into a single simulation. The world around us only exists as we perceive it. Every single aspect of this reality is constructed from the neural activity in our brains. A network of neurons that are either active or dormant. Positive charge or negative charge. On or off. 1 or 0. Binary. The lowest level of computer code. If our brains are compatible with code, is it possible that our brains are just programs written with unfathomable computation power? Neural activity is based on electrical signals. Electricity. The very thing that powers a computer. The 1s and the 0s tell us when to be happy, when to be sad, when to feel warm, when to be cold, when to see light, and when to see darkness. Whether or not this is the case, our ability to understand or even think about such a concept tells us that it is very much possible.

This theory is no more true or false than any religion ever created. Even science cannot prove or disprove this explanation. All science can do is tell us how the code was written. It can help us discover how certain variables and objects interact with each other. Science will never be able to tell us who wrote the code. It will never reveal to us the nature of the compiler on which the code was written. It will never discover the machine on which this compiler was run because we are only capable of understanding reality to a degree at which the system allows. This is true both metaphorically and perhaps literally. The important thing to know is that science will never know. We will never know. In the, so-called grand scheme of things we are just objects interacting with other objects in a manner that has been predetermined by something, or someone.

From everything said, one thing can be concluded. You are not random. You are not “just here”. You are not without purpose. Something, or someone, created a reality so immensely intricate and complex and one of the results was you. In the beginning they wrote a super-class for some single elementary particle. This eventually evolved into the first cell. As the progress of space and time went on, millions of sub-classes were created. Those that yielded errors had to be deleted, and those that ran without fault continued to exist. With each improvement, something new and better was created. Then one day, or however time behaves for “them”, they made the Human. The greatest, most advanced, most complex being to date. You are the present culmination of the greatest undertaking we will ever have the physical capability to comprehend. Look around you. Outstretch your hands and examine them. Wiggle your fingers, clench them into a fist. Stand up. Take a step forward, take one back. Touch the closest object, and really think about that interaction. Really think about the laws that made this possible. Really think about the fact that they’re all just what your brain, a small object resting in your head and interacting with your body, tells you they are.

Think about another advanced life form with a different brain and different senses. Perhaps when they touch an ice cube, they feel what we would feel when we place our hand near a flame. Perhaps when they drink a cup of tea, they taste what we would taste drinking a cold glass of juice. Now think at a different level. When the new life form looks at the Great Pyramids, they see three, large, silver structures made of metal. When they are presented with the scent of flowers, they see a cloud of blue mist around them. When they look at the night sky, they see streaks of yellow light flowing against dark blue backdrop. This is because, perhaps, the way they perceive light is very much different from our’s.

We all see the same thing because our brains are compatible with each other. But bring a new interface into the mix, and the rules change. Reality does not change. The source code does not change. But the parameters defined around a new object’s interaction with this reality can be quite diverse. We see the same things everyday, but this is an incredibly unique way of observing the universe. Only we have the privilege of perceiving it this way. Remember that the next time you’re outside, not in a hurry to be anywhere. Look at the sky. Look at the people. Look at the things we’ve built by harnessing our understanding of reality. Appreciate them with a fresh mind. And know that whoever or whatever created you had a purpose. It is true, the world can be a very gloomy place, and believing that this is part of some plan can be a distressing thought. But if you never suffer, if you never know pain, then you will never truly appreciate pleasure and happiness. Such is the way our minds were designed.

And when we die? Well one common idea states that it’s probably not much different than before you were born. You cease to interact with the reality around you. But the state of your variables, your unique parameters, your genetic information; they can be saved. They can be copied into a new object. You very well could be an exact copy of a previous person. Your personality, your nuances, your tastes, your fears, all in a new body. The only differences are your memories. The same rules of interaction tested in a new environment with different stimuli.

What is the ultimate goal? Well, the universe seems to be aiming for improvement. It’s only logical that the final stage be a perfect being. A God. Perhaps a new God, one that could then proceed to create his/her/its own reality and once again work towards a new, perfect being. Perfect is defined as the best possible outcome but only in the scope of the reality in which it is defined. With each new reality, one could argue that what is “perfect” becomes better and better because each new reality is being created by a being more perfect than the last. With a better reality comes a more improved version of “perfect” that can exist in that reality. Hypothetically, there will be no final stage. A terminal definition of perfect exists in this reality. But when looking at all realities at once, “perfect” can improve infinitely. There is a goal, and our minds can best define it one word: happiness. The ultimate goal is happiness, surely this simple truth can transcend the barriers of multiple realities.

Perhaps at one point in this chain of realities, the human being was considered perfect. In fact, there might’ve been a reality where every form of life was once considered perfect. Even a single cell was once the epitome of evolutionary progress in that universe. So perhaps we are all copies of the same human, improved upon with each new birth. They say God made us in his image, so perhaps He too is human, existing in his own reality where He is the apex life form. We know that here, we are not perfect. Our bodies alone are incredibly delicate objects. Before modern medicine, a single cut could mean death from infection. A perfect human would be immune to disease, invincible to harm, and above all, immortal. The ability to imagine these characteristics alone means that our evolution is not complete.

Why do we enjoy certain high-calorie foods? Because we evolved to crave food with sugars and carbs in order to survive longer. Why do we enjoy the company of friends? Because subconsciously we know that improved human interaction is the key to building a successful society that can support us as much as we support it. Why do we feel hunger or thirst or pain? Because our mind is designed to keep us alive, so it warns us when we are in danger. Why do we physically enjoy sex more than anything else? Because our minds need to be conditioned to realize that creating new life is one of the most vital goals in our existence. These truths, combined with a multitude of related notions tell us this: you are meant to live. Even the perfect being must feel something; they cannot be numb to the world around them. Otherwise, they may as well not exist.

A hundred realities ago, perhaps humans didn’t invent computers until one million years after they came into being. Ten realities ago, maybe they weren’t invented until the year 3000. In this reality, they were invented before the year 2000. Perhaps ten realities from now, beings will begin civilization with the capacity to build computers within a couple decades. A hundred realities from now, the dominant species won’t even have computers. They might not even have bodies. They could exist as beings of consciousness, interfacing directly with the environment around them. Their definition of happiness will be incompatible with ours, but it will be happiness nonetheless.

The grass is always greener on the other side. Why do most people love fantasy and science fiction? The universe is always better in the other reality. Even after dedicating some thought to previously given notions, you can choose to believe anything about your world. Is it real or virtual? Is it coded into a computer or spawned as a controlled ecosystem? Is it run by God or by an advanced species? Or is it just a random occurrence in an otherwise chaotic ether with infinite possibilities and outcomes? The amazing thing is that in our current scope of knowledge, all of these have an equal probability of being true. But no matter the belief, the world itself is the same. The sun will still rise everyday, the seasons will still change, and life goes on. But you have the power to change the way you perceive these seemingly normal events. Consider these words, and live life in the simple pursuit of happiness. It doesn’t matter what you do. And yet, it has all the significance in the world, or rather, the universe. Your brain tells you everyday. Everything you do is meant to make you, at the most basic level, happier. What is the meaning of life? To be happy, to live, and above all, to wish the same upon those around you.