Atheist Astronomer, here. The planet is going to be burned in a few billion years when the sun expands, and at some point the galaxy will diffuse to the point of dispersion (assuming that the impending collision with the Andromeda galaxy doesn’t trash it first). As such, I made peace a long time ago with the notion that we make our own meaning within the context of our own lives, because beauty and meaning is short-lived / ephemeral.
On that basis it would not matter if this was “The Matrix” or some other simulation, other than one point: there are nutjobs who decide that their religion/faith/decision decrees that we are living in some sort of simulation with a better “afterlife” or “escape”. Some of them[1] go on to kill other people in order to “save” those other people from the tyranny of living in the presumed simulation. This is heinous.
Having looked at the universe close up, it’s kinda pretty, and the people are kinda neat. Be kind, and if someone wants to exit the simulation then they should do the research and experiment on themselves, first.
[1] Not only UFO death-cults, but see also the various self-excuses of various invaders, missionaries and conquistadores throughout history.
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