what do physicists mean when they say we potentially live in a simulation?

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I get what a simulation is, at least in the very literal sense. What I’m experiencing feels like reality, it would have to, it’s all any of us have ever known. But what would it mean for us if we truly lived in a simulation? Can it just be turned off and we cease to exist? If we found out we did live in one, how could it change our reality? How do we even hypothesize such a thing? I have zero background in physics just so we’re at an understanding of my physics understanding.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Here’s my understanding:

If the universe is infinite, then an infinite number of things exist, an infinite number of times including you and your reality. To clarify, that would mean there are infinite variations of you and your world, you are just one of those versions.

What are the implications of this info? I think this is up to you more than anything. For me, it means a few things:
* When I feel bad I zoom out and realize how insignificant the “bad” situation is in this infinite reality, and so I am more accepting of all outcomes
* A personal belief is that if I place my focus on a particular version of me, then I start becoming that version of me, so I feel calm knowing I can head in a particular direction regardless of circumstances
* Paradoxically, the fact that this is a simulation means I have no control of the material world. The simulation is playing out as it is designed to. What I do control however is how I react to it. Think of it like you’re watching a movie in first person but you’re also feeling the senses of the main character in the movie. You don’t control what they do, but you do have control over how you react. In this sense, you can learn to accept all things.

I hope that made sense.

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