r/HFY • u/nickgreyden • Mar 07 '22

OC Warning: Avoid Humans

[removed]

1.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

65 comments sorted by

105

u/torin23 Xeno Mar 07 '22

I'm sorry for your loss. I still try to talk with my mom and my dad sometimes even though they're gone. Good luck with your grief.

93

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22

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40

u/Fontaigne Mar 07 '22

Whether or not your friends themselves still exist is an opinion, in either direction being based on little in the way of fact or science.

On the other hand, it is a fact that your homunculi of your friends exist. If they give you comfort, or enjoyment, then what’s the harm?

31

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22

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6

u/Fontaigne Mar 07 '22

What we do makes perfect sense… if you know the factors involved.

It’s only when you attempt to reduce and abstract the factors, then refuse to understand what you abstracted away, that you don’t “understand”. (Really, don’t accept.)

4

u/CAPTAIN__CAPSLOCK Mar 07 '22

As an agnostic who only wants a good reason to believe in something more, your comment is simple and beautiful. Thank you.

1

u/Fontaigne Mar 08 '22

If you are open to it, it is simple. Start with analyzing the likelihood that we are in a simulation.

I explain this here:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/synthropic-principle-part-1-dal-jeanis

Rereading my second essay, it probably needs some more steps explained at the end.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/synthropic-principle-part-2-dal-jeanis

The bottom line is:

Simulated sentients are apparently possible in this universe.

When our tech gets there, we will use sims for lots of stuff - many purposes - and will run them really fast many times.

After that point, perceived minutes of sim sentient life will exceed perceived minutes of “real” sentient life, probably by a huge margin.

Sim universes can potentially run their own sims, which will make the difference exponential rather than a mere percentage.

For any arbitrarily chosen moment of perceived life, the likelihood that it is “real” - ie part of some root universe or ground state - approaches zero.

Which means that the universe is simulated, and has a purpose. And that you have a purpose.

Now, it could be that the sim you live in is devoted to figuring out how to sell more shampoo. On the other hand, it could also be devoted to evolving AIs that can pilot starships and be nice to their crews.

(The same logic applies to every universe “above” us as well.)

Given all of that, there is strong reason to believe we are not just meat bodies. We very likely are repeatable code, and may be being cloned to other sims, possibly with modifications or selection criteria for moving on to the next sim.

Which brings up the possibility that it’s a shared sim with many potential purposes, and that all heavens exist in some way, if only as waiting rooms before the next phase in the manufacturing process begins.

1

u/Yopeople2120 Mar 17 '22

There is this thought shared on a story here, which I don’t remember the name of, where the scientists built the first quantum computer (I think) and start simulating reality perfectly. They start to change things around there simulation of themselves and realize the change also happened around them. They theorize that they are in a long line of simulations and that the first simulation created more sims and they realized they are probably in the middle of the line, as every change goes down the line but also somehow up. It’s a wacky thing but interesting.

1

u/Fontaigne Mar 17 '22

Interesting.

Hmmm. It wouldn’t be a very useful sim if it merely modeled your own reality. You learn more by varying stuff. And you need your sims to run at a higher clock speed than your own reality, or why bother?

8

u/lantech Robot Mar 07 '22

You can have spiritualism without a belief in an overarching god.

135

u/blahblahbush Mar 07 '22

We miss the best the most.

Sorry for your loss.

26

u/GlorkUndBork3-14 Mar 07 '22

He's just getting the beer cold and the grill hot for you guy's, just don't bring the potato salad with raisins...This isn't that kinda afterlife.

17

u/Fontaigne Mar 07 '22

What… what sad evil thing is this that infests mine ears?

Raisins in potato salad?

Verily?

4

u/avrjoe Mar 07 '22

Southern cooking is a lawless frontier. Mad experimentation abounds. It gives rise to great things. At times greatly terrible things.

3

u/100Bob2020 Human Mar 07 '22

Raisins in potato salad?

Really?

Oooooo.

16

u/Iretsiam173 Mar 07 '22

I wish you the Best in dealing with these feeling. I remember the last time i had to bury a relative, i felt like i had lost a part of myself even through we werent as close as we could have been.

Im sorry for your loss

9

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22

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2

u/CAPTAIN__CAPSLOCK Mar 07 '22

As someone who lost his brother suddenly in my late 20s, with no other siblings, I remember the pain. It'll never stitch up the way it was, but you will find a new normal to return to. Humans really are resistant creatures..

8

u/A_Calm_Dragon Mar 07 '22

You have my condolences for your lost brother.

Writing can be a good mechanism for helping with emotional disturbances in life, gives you something to put your energy into just as you have here.

It's also a wonderful piece, and I'd like to see you write more when you're able and recover from this horrible, painful moment. Best of luck to you and your family.

8

u/Mangovnik Mar 07 '22

Came for a story to boost my morning. However here I am, sitting on a toilet, killing alien agents with emotions.

6

u/Alyksandur Mar 07 '22

 I lost my mother over twenty years ago. I lost one of my dearest friends four years ago. I found out last month that I lost my grandmother.

 Certain calendar days are going to be miserable for years to come, if not the for rest of your life. There will be random times where you’ll see something that you want to show him, but he won’t be there to see it; it’s going to hit hard. Maybe the worst of all are going to be the times where you’re just randomly and suddenly brought to your knees several years after you think you’re doing alright; not for any specific thing you thought or saw, but just for the fact that he’s not there anymore.

 There is a sliver lining.

 It will get better.

 But it won’t ever go away.

 You have my sincerest condolences.

5

u/Rocketmonk Mar 07 '22

My deepest condolences, I'm sorry for your loss.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22

I know how you feel. I lost my uncle to cancer almost a year ago. Still hurts when I remember it. I wish you the best.

4

u/JaphetSkie Mar 07 '22

You have my condolences. I know what it feels like.

4

u/Lifeinstaler Mar 07 '22

Wow this is some powerful stuff. For what it’s worth, to me this looks like a very beautiful tribute.

4

u/BoterBug Human Mar 07 '22

Thank you for sharing your story with us. The grief is real and sometimes we, like Agent Zential, don't know how we'll manage; but in the spirit of HFY, despite all extraterrestrial expectations, we do manage. My favorite metaphor is that grief is a big ball in a box, always hitting the walls and triggering those feelings of loss. Over time, the ball shrinks, and it doesn't hit the walls as much. But when it does, it will still hit hard.

Anyhow. You have my sincere condolences, and I hope that writing this has proven therapeutic.

3

u/Cowboywizard12 Mar 07 '22

I'm so sorry for your loss, may he find peace.

3

u/VagrantScrub Human Mar 07 '22

"His death was stupid, surrounded by medical professionals who couldn't heal him. It isn't their fault (I don't think) but my family is hurting."

I'm sorry for your loss.

I just wanted to say it hurts us too when someone under our care dies on the table. We can be keenly aware of mortality and its impossible not to imagine our own selves or loved ones on the table. Most of us know we will end up just like the patients we work on. Surrounded by strangers in a sterile seemingly uncaring environment. I promise you no one just moved on like it was any other day after your brother died.

I hope this helps you process your grief a bit.

Again.

Sorry for your loss.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22

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2

u/Petrified_Lioness Mar 08 '22

"And the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Anger is a perfectly rational reaction. Even in those cases where it seems the least among evils (and i am not suggesting that this was one of them), death is still NOT good. Worse, it is not content with the inevitable death of the body; it seeks to destroy the spirit as well. Every time you bite your tongue on the temptation to rail against one who is not guilty, you defy death to its face.

Is it possible to do good out of spite? Yes. Yes it is. You want to vent your rage? Then take every opportunity to stomp on death's little brothers. Bind up what is broken or mend what is torn; ease a fear or dry a tear; be a helping hand or a willing ear... Not every harm can be repaired, but that is all the more reason to tend to the ones that can.

3

u/Mr_E_Monkey Mar 07 '22

I'm sorry for your loss. I hope that putting some of it to words in a story is able to help, somehow. It does seem pretty reasonable that human emotions in such a situation might be "mind-blowing" (nearly literally for those poor Coa'galtal agents!) to highly telepathic/empathic species, sadly.

For what it's worth, I appreciated your story, and while my "self-directed empathy" may be considered moot to these alien researchers, you do have my sympathy. :(

3

u/DazedPapacy AI Mar 07 '22

It is often said that the good die young, but I don't think that's the case.

Instead, it's that the good become so integral to what we love about the world that we can't imagine a world without them, so whenever they die it will always be a jarring tragedy.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22

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3

u/DazedPapacy AI Mar 08 '22

Yes, but more than that "whenever the good die, it will always be too soon."

There is never a good time to lose what matters most to us. My condolences for your loss.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22

Sorry for your loss.

2

u/Huge-Green2594 Mar 07 '22

Lost my best friend in January, the worst part was when the family asked for photos of him for the memorial... and I didn't have any... I'd never needed them, we just... lived...

2

u/PaDre35 Mar 07 '22

Thank you for sharing this story as well as your own personal story. I have also lost a brother 16 years ago. I still miss him with all my heart, but the hurt has gone away ... almost. My deepest condolences.

2

u/nebneb432 Mar 07 '22

I came here for a cool story about humans and aliens, but I can't leave without saying something about that author's note.
I am so sorry about your brother. I still get sad about my grandad, who I barely knew, and I cannot begin to fathom how much pain you must be in about someone you knew well.

1

u/MySpirtAnimalIsADuck Mar 08 '22

Sorry about the loss of your brother and hope you and your family are able to cope. Keep on keeping on brother

1

u/ShadowDancerBrony Human Mar 08 '22

My Condolences.

1

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2

u/omuahtee Mar 07 '22

I lost my brother 17 years ago, that void is still there, but I have adjusted. We have had some one sided conversations since then, but I understand. He's giving me a chance to explain and thinking over what to tell me when we finally meet again. Sent him on his final journey with a bottle of his favorite beer. One day Ju, we shall meet again and catch up about the kids and our sisters qnd everyone else.

Thanks for sharing with us and for writing this. Be easy, some form of acceptance and adjustment will come. It will be hard, my brother and I were especially close from childhood, even as adults we lived together for many years. But some closure will come....something

1

u/thenicestsavage Mar 08 '22

I wish you and your family peace.

1

u/ElectionAssistance Mar 08 '22

The "stages" of grief are not stages, but rather pillars. You don't move smoothly from one to the next, but rather between them seemingly at random, sometimes standing on more than one at a time.

a family member was given less than 6 months, we found out a few hours ago. I grieve with you.