Conversations Beyond the Norm: Probing the Depths of Consciousness at Grace
Illustration provided by Juliette Robertson ‘25
If you harbor seemingly outlandish thoughts that you hesitate to voice, take solace: you’re in good company within the Grace community. The Gazette has asked students probing questions about where their minds drift away to, only to find that their responses often spark deeper inquiry. Am I being watched? Are we ever truly alone? What is truly in our control? Consciousness … what’s that?
Sophia S. ’25, when asked where her mind begins to wander, shared one of her ontological theories: “I think a lot about how when I leave to go to the bathroom during a class or leave any space, if those people in the room still exist… If you cannot mentally prove that something exists, then how would anything exist? When I’m looking at you right now, that is mental proof of it happening, but as soon as I leave and I’m not looking at you, then how are you real? And this could apply to anyone; for example, I would also no longer be real if there was no mental proof of me.”
The zeitgeist of the new generation invokes a theme of mistrust. Most people have, at some point, thought of the possibility of the world around them as an artificial simulation. In one form or another, there has been a growing media representation of this existentialist dilemma. The “Truman Show” (1998) is a movie about a man, Truman Burbank, played by Jim Carrey, who lives an unsuspecting, ordinary life. However, bit by bit, he discovers that his whole life has been artificially produced on a movie set. This “hit close to home” expressed Maya S. ’25.
“I feel a sense of alienation from existence and the system that governs it.”
In an age of cutting-edge technology and extensive media coverage, one assumes that the general public has unrestricted access to information and a thorough understanding of how governments operate. Nonetheless, a significant number of young people are vocalizing profound skepticism, suggesting an acute divergence between perceived transparency and trust in governmental institutions.
Sophia expressed, “I think about how the government has tried to train marine animals to talk and speak English. In the ’70s, right before Reagan became president and changed the way economics was in the US…”.
Alexander B.’24, wandering by in the library, heard the keywords “theory,” “Reagan,” and “government,” and was compelled to sit in on the discussion. Sophia went on; “The U.S. was just dumping money on these absurd government initiatives, even going so far as to train whales to serve in their armed forces.. ”
“Is that even true, though?” jumped in Stella E.’25.
Evidently, students are drawn to these discussions that push the boundaries.
Pippa L. ’25 brought a whole new layer to the conspiracy theories when she commented, “Oxygen is a drug created and released by the government, and everyone is just addicted to Oxygen. And being ‘alive’ is the sensation you get from this drug. You think you need it, but no one yet knows what truly happens if you stop breathing oxygen.”
Although it may seem that students are just enjoying pulling each other’s legs, doing so could be a first step in divulging what’s beneath the air we breathe.
Moving beyond, Mason Z. ’25’s questions hit right to the core of existentialist dilemmas: “Every day, we wake up in a slightly different altered reality. Every time you go to sleep and dream, you reset and wake up in a different reality. Is it true that humans have lifespans and die at the end of their lives, as we are taught? When does life truly cease? Does it end every day? Every second? Because there are infinite alternate universes.”
In the heat of the discussion, Mason proceeded; “When you die, you still have a little bit of brain activity, let’s say for 10 seconds. I think that the brain activity plays out in your mind indefinitely. It’s similar to a dream in that you don’t perceive time or the beginning, middle, and end. The only difference is that you do not wake up after you die, so you feel like you are in that state for eternity… And that is heaven in a sense.”
Now we are left to wonder; are these musings of the innovative students at the high school akin to the legendary apple falling on Newton’s head, enlightening one to a previously unknown dimension of reality, or merely an instance of being knocked silly by an apple’s blow to the head?
Elif Caliskan ‘25 is a staff writer for The Grace Gazette.