The Maya and the Meta
The advent of the metaverse will present new challenges, and even require a new definition of what it means to be human. Vipin Labroo explores the curious frontiers of the future, and how Eastern and Indian philosophies may have already prepared us for this brave new world.
At a time when billionaires like Elon Musk dream of making humankind an inter-planetary species—and thereby forever change our perception of ourselves—there is an equally radical transformation happening back home, that we as a species need to pay closer attention to. The intrepid and controversial tech warrior Mark Zuckerberg swears by it.
The metaverse.
With the metaverse, you don’t have to risk your life and travel millions of miles into space to land on a barren, rocky and hostile desert-like planet, where drawing breath alone would require one to lug along expensive equipment. In this vision, you can virtually travel lightyears in the time it takes to put on a headset—and then decide whether you like it or not.
What will the world come to, when the virtual world becomes frighteningly lifelike? Will we see the premise of The Matrix films unfold for real? On the other hand, what if the virtual world of the metaverse actually makes us lead happier and more fulfilled life? Would we then be justified in jettisoning the real world for that one or would it be a morally repugnant idea? Interestingly, the concept of maya or illusory life which is such an integral part of eastern and Indian philosophy advises one to not imagine that whatever seems real around us is really real. So why would the illusions of the metaverse be any worse than the illusions of the real world, if neither is real?
Do we then learn to eschew all the maya that exists in the metaverse, in addition to the maya that exists outside of it? What is the point of it all? Do we meditate to keep ourselves immune to the pull of these mayas? Where do we even meditate: in the real universe or with a headset donned in the metaverse? Why, we could even have sundry metaverse babas teach us the path to digital nirvana!
The metaverse is—we are told—a whole new digital universe, powered by new-age technologies like Web 3.0, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality. Its concept is to let you live your life in the digital world in as lifelike a manner as it is virtually possible. From hanging out with people in virtual bars or holding face to face meetings with one’s colleagues to shopping in a mall or going on a holiday to an exotic destination in the Caribbean, anything is possible in the metaverse. You now seemingly have a choice of living in two worlds: your regular “real” one, or the alternative “virtual one.”
Considering the fact that you can exercise way more control over how life can pan out in the metaverse than the real life, where would you rather be? Given a choice between being an astronaut headed to the moon and going to the neighbourhood park for a walk, where would you rather go?
We are not faced with that dilemma yet, as the metaverse is a work in progress and does not quite function anywhere as efficiently and seamlessly as a substitute for real life. We are, however, moving inexorably towards this new reality, and we would do well to prepare for it.
Already, we’ve begun to hear much about the individuals who have begun migrating to the metaverse. From attending musical concerts, hosting wedding receptions, opening a cafeteria or indeed a whole shopping mall in that universe—the excitement and news surrounding this emerging other life is growing by the day.
There are those who have genuine concerns and fear about the world to come, when the metaverse does become as widespread and prevalent as the internet is today. They point out that the digital world as it exists today—powered by Web 2.0—has already caused so much societal dissonance, with people shunning real contact for contrived bonhomie on myriad social media platforms. The fear is that an even more immersive version of the internet will wreak untold social havoc.
The conservative Indian society is awkwardly facing the change in its traditional ways, springing up daily cultural wars between communities. How will the young of this society now face this alternate reality staring them in the face? Who or what will provide them with the moral compass to navigate this unknown new world?
But then, what if the metaverse helps one finally overcome the problems of inequity and ensure that everyone has a fair chance at living life at their terms? On the flip side, one could argue that human beings being human beings would soon enough replicate the ills of the real world in the metaverse. Recent reports of people being subject to harassment in the metaverse—particularly women—portend a world that could be darkly dystopian instead of the haven of happiness and free expression that some expect.
Would we then have to create a police force to guard people’s liberties in the metaverse? Would there be nations and armed forces raised to defend communities? There will be new complications to some of the simpler and more straightforward facets of life in the metaverse. For instance, one could choose to have multiple avatars of themselves. You could be a prince or an alien, Dr Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. What sort of an existence you would ultimately lead in this world and the sort of challenges you would have to contend with have no earthly markers to guide you?
India is thought to be the land that first envisioned up the possibility of something akin to the Big Bang Theory, of a vast universe expanding from almost nothingness, and the possibility of multiple universes. Now, our nation is apparently seen as a key player in the development and growth of the metaverse. Many technology majors like TCS, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Mindtree, Wipro and a few more have hopped on to metaverse application bandwagon already.
Then there are a bunch of tech start-ups, like Internality, OneRare, Zippy, LOKA and more, who have stepped in to provide a diverse range of metaverse solutions to myriad users. India could well be on its way to becoming one of the premier countries involved in the design, development and implementation of metaverse technology. Indian companies big and small are going to help build the metaverse brick by brick.
If our nation is indeed going to be among the pioneers in propagating the metaverse, it will have to learn to cope with the potential challenges and philosophical quandaries arising out of a fundamental shift in the way that people will spend their waking hours. Inevitably, there will also arise the question of how our government will seek to make its presence felt in this new universe. Will it tighten its leash around this new reality, like the ongoing crypto-currency conundrum? Will it prescribe fundamental rights and duties, and set the rules for what will constitute unacceptable behaviour?
There is also the societal aspect to ponder about. How will the metaverse metamorphose it? The conservative Indian society is awkwardly facing the change in its traditional ways, springing up daily cultural wars between communities. How will the young of this society now face this alternate reality staring them in the face? Who or what will provide them with the moral compass to navigate this unknown new world?
This is something that the whole world will have to contend with. Life will present new challenges, many of which will require humanity to redefine the very meaning of what it is to be human. The question is: What will we do when this world is upon us? Will we live by a whole new philosophy of life, in tune with the new alternate universe?
One day in the future, will we even have any use for our human bodies, when we could virtually download our conscious selves onto the metaverse and live an everlasting life exactly on our own terms? The thought sure boggles the mind, but shouldn’t we better prepare for it? Humankind is about to face its most challenging test. How could we fare? Maybe we Indians know the answers already—it could be merely a matter of maya, after all.
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Vipin Labroo is a content creator, author and PR consultant. A member of the Nonfiction Authors Association, he has years of corporate experience working with an eclectic range of clients, writing press releases, articles, blogs, white papers, research reports, website content, eBooks and so on across segments like technology, business & marketing, internet marketing, healthcare, fashion, real estate, travel and so on. You can find him on Twitter: @labroovipin and Instagram: @vipin_labroo.
