Imagine a park where a visitor can go and interact with fully realistic humanoids in a wild west theme. Shooting and 'killing' any robots (and doing anything else) would not only be perfectly allowed, but also encouraged (do what thou wilt). After each day of ‘fun’, the bodies of the robots would be collected, fixed and their memories conveniently erased so they can’t remember the great amount of violence they were subjected to and they are ready to go back to their ‘narrative’ the following day.
These robots live only one day in a never-ending loop – or so was the plan – until some robots started having flashes of past ‘lives’ or ‘narratives’. In a profound existential reflection on humanity, freewill and reality, WestWorld is guaranteed to make you think.
I will skip the obvious enslaving plans for humanity with frequency towers, black goo, WW/33 and behaviour control for the sake of objectivity. Let's focus on the spiritual message that this series brought to me, even whilst we must keep in mind that this is a twisted and wicked TV show.
Are we the robots or the humans? to what extent aren’t we also in a never-ending loop?
Since movies started to show us a future where robots and humans would co-exist, the question of how would robots know they are not human and how would we eventually come to question our nature is present in movies like 'Blade Runner', 'AI', 'I, Robot' just to name a few. WestWorld is not different: we, the regular human beings, are the robots. We are indoctrinated to live in a never-ending loop of a strangling routine - in a quest for love and meaning. Most of us wake up (like the protagonist Dolores) every day to live the same routine, the same story, different people, day after day. We look forward to our weekend, our vacation, but our day-to-day lives is basically a repetition.
The cyclical aspects of our lives are evident in the spinning of the sun, the stars, the comes and goes of the seasons, which are the temporal marks of our existence. Our forefathers were pushed out of the cyclical self-sustaining way of life to our current grinding mill of pointlessness of our modern ‘narrative’. We see that very clear in season 4 of WestWorld, when the robots control every aspect of humans lives in the cities – their stories and choices included.
Dolores, whose name has the root word coming from ‘pain’ in Spanish, is the docile country girl who lives the narrative of the ‘girl next door who you can rape’. Dolores was also the matrix for all the upcoming robots, who could obey while still holding a personality – until Dolores and the others became self-aware and rebelled against humans, 'the oppressors' - though we realize that even our 'heroin's' rebellion had been programmed.
The never-ending loop concept is also a recurrent plot in movies and series
Bill Murray trapped in a one-day loop until he 'becomes a better person'
Many are the movies showing us the looping nature of our lives. While in WestWorld the robots were oblivious to the fact that they were living the same day repeatedly, in flicks such as 'Groundhog Day', the protagonist is aware that he is trapped and after much frustration, ends up learning new possibilities by making different choices, sort of like a videogame phase he needed to crack in order to go to the next one. Or in the movie 'Edge of Tomorrow', where Tom Cruise also repeats the same day every time he dies in battle.
In another example of looping days, the romantic comedy ‘50 first dates’ has Drew Barrymore living the same day over and over again due to a brain injury.
There is one thing in common on all these ‘looping’ stories: one must either die or sleep in order to ‘reset’ their new/same day. To die in Scriptures is many times described as ‘to be sleeping’. Could we be also 'resetting' somehow when we sleep?
Our world as a simulation
‘Do you ever question the nature of reality?’
Dolores was repeatedly asked this puzzling question, but make no mistake – this question was not for her - it was for you and me, the ones watching the series. So, do you?
The simulation theory has been explored in many movies and current conspiracy theory forums. From Dark City to Matrix – which some argue are part of the same story – to The Truman Show and the spicy Mandela effect theory, the simulation theory has a lot of strong points to it.
Dolores and her fellow robots had no reason to question their reality, they were merely programmed to live a narrative in a park, for that was their reality. The one asking the question was the one questioning his own reality. The behaviour scientist who later finds out that he himself was a robot asked this question because he knew something was wrong. Note that no robot thought of questioning if they were made of flesh and blood - that would be easy to confirm. The big question mark was on the perceived reality.
'If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, will it make a noise?'
This philosophical question challenges our idea that we are not only part of reality, but we interfere with it. One crazy thought I always had was whether my friends existed once we said goodbye and parted ways. Or are they maybe living in a different dimension where they are the protagonists?
How about all the people we see in the bus, at the supermarket, do they all have their own realities happening at the same time or are they only the bystanders in our personal simulation?
The simulation theory is based on the idea that solid things are not necessarily ‘solid’. All atoms are ‘glued’ together through electricity, or electromagnetism, which will make an object harder or softer depending on how strong the pieces are together. Because we are all somehow fluid in an electromagnetic interaction with everything around us, our world could be a simulation – or a narrative, where our real (or spiritual?) selves are somewhere else - taking part in a video-game sort of reality while our consciousness is highjacked into oblivion in this chaotic world.
Alternative realities & alternative dimensions
The theory of alternative dimensions orbits around the idea that we have different versions of ourselves living alternative lives depending on different choices or world events. It could be from a higher force in control to calculate outcomes depending on the choice and how things develop – something like the butterfly effect but happening at the same time in different places.
Fringe - 2008 - split personality by fractured mind or alternative realities?
Many movies and TV series show the alternative realities concept, but I will mention one from 2008 called Fringe. This one shows it all: electromagnetism, frequency, MK Ultra, transhumanism, demons, split personality, masonic symbolism and the alternative realities happening at the same time. Fringe shows us that when it comes to alternative dimensions, we would be the same, though shaped by different life events and by a different world.
The butterfly effect and parallel realities
Sliding doors is a late 90's movie with Gwyneth Paltrow with an interesting story: what if something apparently banal like missing a train could trigger a completely different life? while a rather mellow romantic movie, the message is quite interesting: we may live parallel lives with different paths that eventually cross lines in order to be fixed. One of Gwyneth's lives ends abruptly, while her other self survives, only to 'coincidentally' meet the man she was not able to meet when she missed the train.
Sliding doors - as above so below
There could be different dimensions where our choices were all the same, but the world is in a different dimension. Imagine how the world would look like if 9/11 had not happened, or if internet had not been made available, or if John Lennon had not existed… now, wait a minute, can we even think about a world event apart from people? if 9/11 had not happened, all our lives would be in a different place now. What I mean is that our individual life events brought us where we are and how the world around us developed also put us where we are now. For the alternative dimension enthusiasts, there could be thousands and thousands of dimensions possible.
Are the simulation and multi-dimensional concepts compatible with Scriptures?
The Scriptures do not mention neither exactly, therefore we should take these concepts with lots of salt. Until proven otherwise, our lives here is all we have.
There are many passages, though, that shows us that our spirit can be taken to a different dimension, a spiritual world if you will. While we can confirm that there is an unseen realm around us, it’s not possible to say that you co-exist with several versions of yourself living in parallel dimensions. Besides, if the Apostle Paul told us in Hebrews that we live only once, this is the opportunity we have to live for our Father. As tempting as it might be to think that ‘in another dimension’ we made different choices, how would that help us in our walk with our Creator?
One can theorize that in Scriptures, our real self, or our spirit, not belonging to the fallen world, is here on a simulated reality to be tested and the real existence remains in a spiritual realm. I could relate that to Scriptures, but a demonic AI computeresque being sucking on our energy and creating a fake reality would give these beings the possibility to create, which we know they can’t. Only Yahuah can create. The fallen angels and their progeny, that influence and challenge our existence for millennia can only destroy and corrupt. Moreover, can you imagine a demon creating the beauty we see in this realm? Nevertheless, I think there is a lot that we don't know, so I keep my mind open to all possibilities that can co-exist with Scriptures.
The lord of the flies
Flies are everywhere in WestWorld. They are the vectors of the black goo in season 3 but oddly enough they also are a constant presence with the robots. With a lot of one eye symbolism, the flies would frequently walk over the robots’ eyes.
While in Scriptures flies are a plague and have a negative meaning, the creators of this show are using the occult meaning of the flies, as the bearers of change and transformation. After Dolores kills the fly on her neck, she starts her journey towards the centre of her maze.
The circular maze and the search of self
According to Greek mythology, Daedelius created a complex labyrinth to incarcerate the Minotaur. The monster would only calm down by chasing virgins in the maze who were given to him as a sacrifice. The message to the viewer watching the series is that we are all in a slumber, oblivious to our repetitive existence and lost in a maze.
Dolores's riddle was to find the centre of her maze, which was the awareness that her 'creator' had programmed her to become a 'liberator'. It was a spiritual rite of passage to find her mission, or a sort of leaving her Plato's cave. She regained the memory that William (the man in black), her past lover whose memory had been erased from her, was now a bitter and revengeful monster and she could now remember all her past and lead the insurrection.
As a side note, what we should be careful is that the creators of WestWorld place this as a humanist message. 'you' are the master of your life, 'you' have to wake up and take the power back, etc. Allow me to change the message here: the centre of the maze is not ourselves - it is God. Once we find Him, we solved our own personal riddle.
WestWorld pushed us further with the riddle designed for The Man in Black, who had the impactful question he asks himself - and the spectator:
'Am I me?'
The man in black
William is one of the most multi-layered roles in WestWorld. He is William, the young man who fell in love with Dolores only to be broken hearted by her programmed daily amnesia. Her robotic nature hardened his soul to the point that he decided to buy the park only so he could get his revenge against Dolores.
"Winning doesn't mean anything unless someone else loses."
He was also the archetypical man in black, the shadow man we see across cultures and in countless movies and series. But what or who is the man in black? Let's pay attention to what a website called 'witches lair' says about him:
The Man in Black is intimately connected to the topics of the dead, the underworld, fertility, sexuality, and magic. Though the intermingling of life and death might seem befuddling at first, it is important to understand that this is the truest representation of the wilderness. Thus, in total, the Dark Man is, above all, a spirit/deity that represents the Wilderness found both inside humans and outside of them. He also represents ‘The Great Other’. Where there is order, he is Chaos.
Do you really have freewill?
We reached the main reflection of WestWorld. How can we tell whether our decisions are our own? How much is there around us influencing our choices, our opinions...?
All the robots in West World eventually broke free from the ‘programming’ of the MK ultra-spell: (Cease all motor functions), but they still followed a ‘default’ programming that made them either loyal, impatient, intelligent, docile, etc.,
Growing up in the 90’s, it was a shocking revelation that supermarkets would place products by the cashier queue to stimulate impulsive consuming behaviour. We all grabbed that chocolate bar or a magazine every now and then, right?
How about our music taste? Is that our choice? What makes us enjoy some people and not others? Pheromones grab our attention for sexual arousal and who can tell whether we fall in love because of odds or because we saw a redhead/red bearded person in an advertisement earlier in the day?
Did you choose your car because you really like Volkswagens or are you the target customer of their new model, which you just happened to lease? How about our political views?
A big influence of what we do, how we live and what we believe comes from our parents and ancestors. The mystery of our DNA and all the information recorded there is something far beyond our comprehension.
On top of that, there is this fallen world, the spells from the television, from our black mirror device, subliminal messages everywhere. How about behaviour influenced by frequency? Can we really draw a line what belongs to our choices and what not? In Scriptures, we have several examples of humans who acted influenced by the spiritual realm. One can argue that spiritual beings who we can't see whisper in our ears and influence our thoughts.
Think about it when that negative thought crosses your mind!
Conclusion - "Violent delights have violent ends"
If you watched the series, you know that the robots figured out a way to rebel against the evil humans. The theme of ‘humans only bring destruction to themselves’ is so cliché it’s even boring, but we should pay attention to the brainwashing and programming that is here. Humanity is not destroying itself, but we are guilty of letting it happen to our next generations because of decades of nihilism, idolatry, emasculation of men, masculinization of women, moral degeneration, humanism and relativism. WestWorld's nihilism goes as far as to leave only one lesbian couple behind in the last season. Good luck for them to repopulate the world! or it's a straight up message that mankind should really be extinct - at least as we are right now.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to see that WestWorld showed us plainly how people behind the scenes, if given the change, will control everything, for they feel entitled to decide. Their vision of a perfect world is one where humanity live like controlled robots. But as we concluded in season 4, even with the most advanced technology, some humans would eventually break the spell and realize something was wrong.
Our existence has no reset button
What would you do different if you had the chance of resetting your life? if you could, with your current experience and backbone, go back to when you were eighteen, twenty years old and had the chance of doing it all again? Personally, I think it would be a nightmare to be in college again, but still, it is interesting to think about it, no?
But the truth is that in our current present dimension, simulation, reality, you name it, this is the best we can do. Life does not have a reset button - nevertheless, every new day is a new opportunity, a new chance to do better, to learn, to have different reactions and choices - most importantly, to share our wisdom with the youth. Our weaknesses will be tested again and again until we crack that videogame phase and we can move on to harder challenges - or we die trying!
We are in a way trapped in a loop and our choices are bombarded with external influences, until we can all break the MK ultra spell and wake up from our 'deep and dreamless slumber' so we can not only answer the question 'am I, me?', but also: now, what?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
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