The Truman Show Response 1

When you dream, there are people who can play a pivotal part in the plot that you have never met. These people are simply projections of your subconscious, but they are so realistic that we don't even notice that our dream state isn't the real world. How are we, then, able to be certain that the same thing doesn't occur in real life. Why can't everything, everyone around us be a representation? In The Truman Show, the same situation is played out through a reality television show, instead of dreams. After watching the movie, I've begun to question every existence. How do I know that I'm not the star of some show meant to chronicle my life? How can I know that everyone around me is who they say they are, not hired actors or projections meant to solidify the illusion? To be frank, there is no way that we can know for sure that any of this is real. Even so, everything that is around me may be a replication, but I know without a doubt that I am real.

Des Cartes stated, "I think, therefore I am," and while this may seem obvious, there's a larger depth to it than the obvious. As an individual human being, I have the capacity to let my mind wander to whatever it so chooses. I can create a distant galaxy or an undersea palace without every leaving the comfort of my imagination. Also, I have the ability to create stories and poetry from nothing, using just my creativity. Finally, I have an independent thought train that, while influenced by my surroundings, is completely my own creation. A projection would simply say what it is programmed to say, and an actor would be supplied lines to speak without giving conscious thought to it. On the other hand, I am able to react to a situation and ad lib whatever I decided to say without begin influenced by a being that selects my words, thoughts and actions for me. The defining characteristic of a real person is the ability to think for themselves and make their own judgments.

 

Though it may be fun to pretend we are the center of our world, either by subconscious or divine design, the chances of this actually being reality are fairly minimal. If this were true, things would always happen the way I would wish them to occur, though this is not the case. Many times in my life, things have gone wrong and happened with a negative impact on my situation. With that said, I believe that we do not live in a Matrix type world where nothing is real, and I instead believe that everyone is a true being that has the capacity of thought.