Reality matches our expectations

Every once in a while I will try to write about philosophy, which is difficult since I never had a class on the subject. If I try to sound official anyone can shoot a hole in one of my theories in about five seconds. So instead I try to do it as part of a story. I have a few of these lying around and I intend on writing more. Anyway, here is one conversation between Richard and Brian, two of my stock characters, as they try to understand the universe. Enjoy.


“Have you ever studied history, Brian. I mean, really thought about the past” Richard asked slowly looking down at his beer bottle.”
“Not really. I mean, I went through the stuff at school. It was all about dead kings and wars in places I was never going to visit.”
“See, isn’t that strange. You grow up thinking that the past is meaningless because it is nothing like today. You never bother to ask the question why is today so different.”
“Well, besides technological advances and everything.”
“That’s my point. Technology has destroyed our view of the past. Can you imagine a time without computers or airplanes or cars. A time when if you needed cash you went to the bank and cashed a check, not walk into a drug store and bitch about the ATM surcharges. We have no view of a time which isn’t today.”
“I don’t know if that is such a bad thing.”
“It has to be. I’ve been thinking, I’ve been doing a lot more of that since my cable went out. Everyone just assumes that we live in a natural state, as if man was always meant to be in space and listen to music in 20 channel stereo sound. Maybe that isn’t true. Maybe we were always meant to work with our hands and ride horses and never move more than fifty miles from the place where we were born. It’s like everything we experience today is just assumed to be correct because we never bother to ask whether it is wrong or not.”
“We accept the universe that is around us is the proper one. Reality matches our expectations.”
“That’s a pretty deep thought from you.”
“Thanks, stole it from the Truman Show. I’m beginning to base my entire philosophy on Jim Carrey movies. Still, not all society based conventions are that bad. Take love for instance.”
“What, how is love an invention.”
“Ok, it may not have been created but why do kids and fools and the lonely fall in love. Because for centuries we have had poetry and love songs and have been told how noble it is and how pure true love can be. Back in the glorious past you had courtly love where you dedicated your life to someone you saw only three times in your entire life. Don’t you remember your Dante?”
“Long book with lots of poetry which doesn’t rhyme.”
“True, but that still doesn’t change my point that human beings do not advance towards a natural state. A natural state is a monkey, a human being is someone who fits a society, who has norms and ideals and a belief. Still, the ATM surcharges are insane, sometimes the feudal system looks good in comparison.”