The Reality Bubble

1. Our perception of reality is limited by biological, societal, and civilizational blind spots

We are blind to our blindness.

Biological limitations: Humans can only perceive a tiny fraction of reality due to our sensory limitations. For example:

• We can only see 0.0035% of the electromagnetic spectrum
• Our hearing range is limited to 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• We have blind spots in our vision that our brains automatically fill in

Societal blind spots: Our culture and society shape what we perceive and ignore:

• In developed countries, most people are disconnected from food production, energy generation, and waste management
• Many are unaware of the environmental and social costs of their consumption habits

Civilizational blind spots: Our shared beliefs and systems create collective blind spots:

• We often fail to question fundamental assumptions about time, space, and ownership
• Historical biases and power structures continue to shape our worldview

2. The human body and environment are intimately interconnected at the atomic level

Today, half of the nitrogen in our DNA comes from a Haber-Bosch factory.

Atomic recycling: The atoms that make up our bodies have existed since the beginning of the universe:

• 98% of the hydrogen atoms in our bodies date back to the Big Bang
• The iron in our blood was formed in dying stars
• The carbon in our cells comes from plants, which absorbed it from the atmosphere

Environmental exchange: We constantly exchange matter with our environment:

• We inhale about 23,000 breaths of air each day
• The water we drink has cycled through the environment for billions of years
• The food we eat incorporates atoms from soil, air, and water

Human impact: Our activities are altering the global atomic cycle:

• The Haber-Bosch process for creating synthetic fertilizer has doubled the amount of fixed nitrogen in the biosphere
• Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that has been trapped underground for millions of years
• Plastic pollution is introducing new, non-biodegradable molecules into ecosystems

3. Modern food production, energy generation, and waste management are largely invisible to us

There are cameras everywhere, except where our food comes from, where our energy comes from, and where our waste goes.

Food production opacity: Most people are disconnected from the sources of their food:

• Factory farming practices are hidden from public view
• "Ag-gag" laws in some places make it illegal to document conditions in animal facilities
• Many are unaware of the environmental and ethical implications of industrial agriculture

Energy generation invisibility: The processes and impacts of energy production are often out of sight:

• Power plants are typically located far from population centers
• The long-term consequences of fossil fuel extraction and use are not immediately apparent
• Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are more visible but still abstract to most consumers

Waste management blindness: We rarely confront the consequences of our waste:

• Landfills and incinerators are located away from residential areas
• Ocean pollution and electronic waste dumping often occur in distant locations
• The long-term environmental impacts of waste are not immediately visible

4. Our measurement of time and space shapes our understanding of the world

Clock time is a human invention.

Time measurement evolution: Our concept of time has changed dramatically over history:

• Ancient civilizations used natural cycles (sun, moon, seasons) to measure time
• Mechanical clocks in the 14th century began to standardize time measurement
• Modern atomic clocks define time with incredible precision (losing only 1 second in 90 billion years)

Spatial measurement development: Our understanding of space has also evolved:

• Early measurements were based on human body parts (e.g., cubit, foot)
• The metric system standardized measurements based on Earth's dimensions
• GPS and satellite technology now allow precise global positioning

Impact on society: These measurement systems profoundly affect our lives:

• Industrial time management changed work patterns and social structures
• Standardized time zones facilitated global communication and trade
• Precise spatial measurements enable technologies like GPS navigation and international borders

5. Surveillance technology is pervasive and shapes human behavior

We are tracked by cameras from 35,000 kilometres up in the sky and scanned and monitored right down to the very lines and pores in our skin.

Ubiquitous monitoring: Surveillance is present in many aspects of modern life:

• CCTV cameras in public spaces
• GPS tracking in smartphones
• Biometric data collection (fingerprints, facial recognition)
• Internet activity monitoring

Data collection and analysis: Vast amounts of personal data are gathered and processed:

• Social media platforms collect and analyze user behavior
• Companies use customer data for targeted advertising
• Governments collect data for security and administrative purposes

Behavioral impacts: Awareness of surveillance affects human behavior:

• Self-censorship in online communications
• Compliance with social norms due to perceived observation
• Changes in public behavior due to CCTV presence

6. The global economic system perpetuates inequality through invisible mechanisms

Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank and he can rob the world.

Financial abstractions: Modern money is largely intangible:

• Only 16% of global money exists as physical currency
• The rest exists as digital entries in banking systems

Wealth concentration: The global economy favors the accumulation of wealth:

• The richest 1% own more wealth than the bottom 50% of the global population
• Tax havens and offshore accounts allow the wealthy to avoid taxation

Debt and power dynamics: Debt is used as a tool for control:

• Poor countries often trapped in cycles of debt to rich nations
• Personal debt (credit cards, mortgages) can limit individual freedom

7. Extending rights to nature challenges our concept of ownership and personhood

A watershed lacks consciousness, intelligence, cognition, communicability, or agency.

Rights of nature movement: Some jurisdictions are granting legal rights to natural entities:

• Colombia's Amazon rainforest granted rights as an "entity subject of rights"
• New Zealand's Whanganui River given legal personhood

Corporate personhood contrast: While nature struggles for rights, corporations have long held legal personhood:

• Corporations gained rights before African Americans or women in the US
• Unlike living beings, corporations cannot be physically imprisoned

Ownership reconsidered: Granting rights to nature challenges our concept of property:

• Can we truly "own" living things or ecosystems?
• How do we balance human needs with the rights of nature?

Human Wrote: Here are the key takeaways and supporting details for "The Reality Bubble" by Ziya Tong, rewritten and condensed into about 2,000 words while preserving the core ideas:

Last updated: December 3, 2024