That isn’t really what I’m saying. Shared experience isn’t an equation, but is does tend to be pretty central to social groups. And social groups tend to bond and form mutually beneficial relationships. If we were all able to share in each other’s experiences then It isn’t a stretch to think it would make each of our individual lives more relatable to each other.

The author uses the example of a person’s racism being diminished by learning/downloading Kung Fu. It isn’t a perfect example, but it does illustrate how someone’s bias could be altered through learning a new skill. And if that process of learning were as accessible as the internet and as immediate as a download then it seems that our ability to relate to each other would increase exponentially.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy and knowledge aren’t mutually exclusive. If you were able to download someone (everyone) else’s experiences and gain the understanding of what their life is like it follows that you would be able understand and share their feelings.

It makes me wonder.

If we all had a mastery of every known skill, an encyclopedic knowledge of all of history, generations of life experience from all corners of the globe, and a complete understanding of all known sciences, then would we not naturally strive for a just, equitable, and sustainable world for all living things? Would we have boundless empathy, compassion, and wisdom? Would predation and exploitation become history and collaborative competition become the norm? Would we overcome illness, aging, and death? Would we flourish and spread across the cosmos, perhaps discover others like us elsewhere?

I like to think we would and wish that I lived in a time where this was even a possibility.