Scientists and 'normal folks' alike have thought about and tried to explain the nature of our reality in a multitude of ways. There are several different theories that try to make sense of what reality is and how our universe functions.
Some of these theories are pretty straight forward, some have so many twists and turns that will make your head turn even though they have a concrete scientific basis, and some are outright bizarre and may sound too far-fetched.
One such theory is that the reality we live in, is actually a simulated reality. Meaning that there are higher level beings that have designed our reality, possibly as a computer simulation much like how we design computer games containing several characters in it that we can play with/as.
There are many prominent figures that believe in this theory. Elon Musk might be one of the more popular ones. But the question is, if our reality is really a simulation, how do we prove it? Or more ambitiously, can we escape it?
Escaping The Matrix
The first problem that arises with the concept is that there seems to be no way of proving it, at least with our current technological levels and understanding. Even if we do pull off a miracle and prove it someday, it could shatter all our previous understandings and pose much bigger questions and problems.
As creations, we would essentially be seeking our creators, who by the way could be an alien child. Yeah! We could be a school project of a high school alien being, and we could be living inside of a hard drive in its computer.
Would it even be possible to transcend beyond the simulation and into the world of our creators? If we are "programmed" to exist inside the simulation, could we survive outside of it? Could a game character survive in our real world? The questions itself sounds so bizarre.
My opinion is that even if someday we figure out that we are actually living in a simulation, we couldn't and shouldn't do anything about it. What would change realistically, as far as life is concerned? Nothing, I think. Some people, like the famous hacker George Hotz, is quite adamant that we should make efforts to escape our matrix and even proposes forming a church to concentrate human efforts towards that direction!!