I don’t ride rollercoasters or do rides at the fair.  The last time I went to a planetarium I got dizzy. No way am I getting on one of those spinny things at a playground.  So when a friend suggested I try a virtual reality experience I knew I was going to hate it.

It’s inside.  It seems like a video game.  I have to wear something encasing half my head which means I’ll get claustrophobic.  I figured I could only endure it for a few minutes before I had to escape. There are so many things that could go wrong I knew I’d get plenty of fodder for an article.  

I finally had to quit whining and try it so that I could put my time in, get it over with, make some notes, and go eat with my friends.  When I put on the headset it was still on my friend’s game, which was killing zombies. Having the undead coming at me did nothing to improve my bad attitude.

I thought a nice nature scene would be more up my alley, something that would be calm and slow instead of a competitive game.  No shooting, blood, or general mayhem. I chose a relaxing moonlit woodland experience. They showed me how to work the controls and—

It was the coolest thing ever.  I loved it. I could coast down a creek just over the water; it was like canoeing without a boat.  I could use my fake hand to reach out and pat the rump of an imaginary deer. I had an option to turn on a starburst setting, which made it look like I was inside a ring of fire.

At one point I had to sit on the floor because I wanted to be right there in the midst of a field of wildflowers.  I wanted to lie flat on the floor so that I could look up at the stars but I was afraid that might be a bit much. I got so into it that apparently the rest of the group got a kick out of just watching me.

The next day I pondered all this.  It’s really cool that we have the technology to create such experiences, that fool our brains into thinking something is real even when we know intellectually that it isn’t.  Perhaps this could have applications for treating medical or psychological disorders.

But then couldn’t it also be something we can use to escape our lives, like so many activities that can turn into dangerous addictions?  What if we deluded ourselves into thinking that this fake world is better? Wasn’t that the whole point of that movie, The Matrix?

What do I do now to answer these questions swirling around in my head?  What is the cure for my inner turmoil? And how am I ever going to be able to top such an experience?  The solution is simple, easy, free, and readily available to everyone:

I went outside.

I walked on the trail and heard actual birds singing.  There was warm sun on my face and breeze in my hair. I took off my sandals and felt the texture of the pavement.  The smell of grass and flowers wafted over me.

Obviously I was blown away by the virtual reality experiment.  I love to try new stuff, even things I’m convinced I won’t like.  I think everyone should seek out new adventures.

But let’s also not lose sight of how amazing real life is.  The antidote to what ails you isn’t avoiding reality, but embracing it in all it’s awesomeness.