My "Experimental Unit" Theory: Why our existence has a purpose
I have always pondered why death «hurts» so much? Not just the physical part, but the visceral, existential terror of it.
The standard answer is always Darwinism: «We evolved to fear death so we’d survive long enough to breed.» If we’re just biological machines meant to pass on DNA, our internal lives are massively over-engineered. You don’t need a deep sense of awe, high sensitivity to beauty, or the ability to ponder the «meaning of life» just to gather berries and avoid a predator.
Everything in the universe is there for a reason, no matter how insignificant it might seem, it ended up there for a reason and a purpose. Humans have been shaped with multiple different personalities, ways of sensing things, different ways of understanding/creating/loving/hating etc.. Suddenly it starts looking like there’s a framework or a «system» in place. And a framework can’t exist without a purpose, so the question is - what’s the purpose?
Well after some reflection I have landed on a conclusion. I think we are what you could call experimental units or observers of the universe. If the universe is just raw matter and energy, it doesn’t «know» it exists. A star doesn't appreciate its own heat. I think consciousness was produced so the universe could finally look back at itself and understand what it actually is. We’re the sensors.
In this system, our task isn't to be successful in a human sense, but it’s to provide unique data points to the universe or the creator. Think about it. Humanity have been learning and creating stuff on the planet all this time for what? Well, it’s main purpose is so we can understand ourselves, and since we are the embodiment of the universe we are helping the universe understand itself. Are you following?
This is why we have such different drives. Some people care deeply about a specific goal, whether it's a career, a creative project, or a way of living that others might find totally irrelevant. That «care» isn't an accident. Those specific obsessions produce the unique data points the universe wants. When you pursue a goal with everything you have, you are providing a perspective that no one else in the history of the system has provided. The universe wants that specific result, and pushes you towards it - also called manifestation.
If all of this I’m saying is true, then the «life flashing before your eyes» moment at the end fits in. It’s the moment the person uploads everything it witnessed, achieved, and struggled for back into the source. The hurt and the fear of death are just in place to make sure we don't quit before we finish what we were set out to do.
This theory also gives dreams purpose, because they could be in place to accurately store memory from the day and help the process of conserving data. But wait, animals also dream - which would mean they also gather data, right? Correct. But not the same data type as us humans. Animals are in place to collect other parts of data us humans would never think of collecting, and they also make the operation of the earth possible and sustainable.
Any flaws in this theory? I endorse criticism or/and skepticism.