Display MoreAre you an NPC or a real human?
This is like the Turing test (the test of AI for human-level intelligence), but for humans. If you pass, you might be a real human.
Warning: Reading this post will change your life and its direction permanently. This post isn't a joke; as you read it, you will begin the process of being reprogrammed into an agent if your hardware can handle it.
NPC is a non-playable character and is a video game term for the programmed digital puppets that you interact with in games. They appear human; they sound human, but if you look too closely, you find that they are just robots with a very limited range.
This contrasts with the human player, who is an agent who has agency and is capable of driving the story forward through their own initiative, creativity, and choices.
Humans have agency; NPCs are reactively programmed bots.
Unfortunately, many people behave as little more than complex NPCs, flesh bots that do as they have been programmed to do by their parents, churches, schools, governments, and mass media. They think they are humans, but they lack the agency to be fully alive.
The following questions will help you determine if you are a real human.
Can you pass the NPC test?
Are you the primary agent in your life?
Are you passive, reactive, or proactive in addressing threats and opportunities?
Do you take the initiative to resolve conflicts?
Are you waiting for other people to do "something" before you do what you want to do?
Do you make excuses for not taking action based on other people's choices? What is that thing you are waiting for? Examples below:
"When they change the laws, I'll get married."
"When women start acting feminine, then I'll start acting masculine."
"When my wife starts treating me with respect, I'll start leading the family."
"When my husband starts leading the family, I will treat him with respect and follow his lead."Who are you?
Are you who you chose to be, or are you just the product of your genes (hardware) and environment (software)?
Do you have a clear, self-made mission (purpose) and identity? Or are you working on someone else's mission with an identity they sold you?
Do you take full responsibility for your life and everything in it?
Are you able to change your preferences, tastes, and habits at will?
Can you change parts of your personality to suit your needs?
Can you adapt to every challenge you face?Can you think?
Can you explain the difference between thinking and feeling?
Can you continue to think even when you are experiencing strong emotions?
Example: When someone makes a generalised statement about a group of people, do you respond with a NAXLT (not all X are like that) statement?
Example: If someone hurts or insults you, can you respond with self-control and poise, or do you react with emotions?
Do you have an objective way to decide right from wrong, true from false, and persuasion from manipulation?
Do your emotions use you, or do you use them?
Can you calculate the second and third effects of your actions over days, months, and even years?The answers to these questions will make it very clear if you are a human or an NPC.
Humans get to decide their story and the direction of their lives; NPCs are just along for the ride. If you find that you are not as human as you like, I can help you cut your strings.
I've got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret, or make me frown
I had strings
But now I'm free
There are no strings on me