My message to you is this: pretend that you have free will. It's essential that you behave as if your decisions matter, even though you know they don't. The reality isn't important: what's important is your belief, and believing the lie is the only way to avoid a waking coma. Civilization now depends on self-deception. Perhaps it always has. Ted Chiang
About This Quote

The message of this quote is that if we do not believe that our decisions are free, then we will never be able to fully enjoy them. We would become paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decision. This fear is what keeps us from doing great things, and it is what has kept our society in its current state for so long. We need to believe that our actions matter, and that if we make the right choices, then the end result will be positive.

Source: Stories Of Your Life And Others

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