When simulation becomes the norm, it weakens the human capacity for discernment. As a result, our social bonds close in upon themselves, forming self-referential circuits that no longer expose us to reality. We thus come to live within bubbles, impermeable to one another. Feeling threatened by anyone who is different, we grow unaccustomed to encounter and dialogue. In this way, polarization, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.
Coffee. Black. No sugar because I don't trust anything that makes this easier. The first sip burns and I let it. Pain means I'm still here. Pain means the night didn't win. I hold the cup with both hands like a man holding his own heart outside his body. Just me and something dark that doesn't pretend to be anything else. Everyone else will lie to me today. This won't