Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Boy wearing Oculus Rift

Whereas fully immersive meditation – whereby the meditator travels through time and space – requires full mitzvah and Shabbat observance to be experienced in its fullest (as alluded to in the numerical equivalences above), these virtual devices don’t require anything other than to put them on. As it is, children have died as a result of marathon gaming sessions. All the more so should there be concern for a “completely immersive computer-generated environment” like what Oculus Rift presents.

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In a recent Fox News article, Dr. Keith Ablow writes:

“Here’s the problem: If the Oculus Rift were a pharmaceutical or medical device, rather than a gaming headset, the FDA would study it for years and demand rigorous clinical trials in volunteers before approving it. It would want to make certain the device had no unexpected side effects — like depression or attention deficit disorder or anxiety or delusional thinking. And it would want to make sure it was not addictive.”

If you read the rest of the article, without mentioning the Kabbalah, Dr. Ablow goes on to explain the importance of interacting with real reality and real relationships to solve real world problems. But the Creator provides the cure before any possible disease or ailment. While Dr. Ablow is rightfully concerned that Oculus Rift and other virtual reality devices may lead to “narcissism and depression and dissociation and violent behavior,” we have already explained the cure.

When reading about the splitting of the Red Sea every morning during prayer, experiencing the Exodus from Egypt during Passover, the Giving of the Torah on Shavuot, and so forth, we run the risk of viewing these as one-time historical occurrences. But as Hasidism emphasizes, we should experience these events as if they were happening anew. While these experiences have the potential to be most profound and awe-inspiring, we also run the risk of viewing them as historical tales.

Whereas the unfettered flight of virtual reality games is potentially dangerous, if anything, they remind us of the importance of immersing in and experiencing events to their fullest. Whereas the imaginary escapades of these games could potentially lead to uncontrolled highs, our grounding and regulatory board is Torah and mitzvah observance.

What then do we suggest? Learn the real potential of thought. Learn how to travel back in time or travel to distant lands in an instant. Learn how to experience as new that which first occurred thousands of years ago.

There are three garments of the soul: thought, speech and action. These three vehicles of self-expression enable the powers of the soul to manifest in reality. But whereas speech and actions stop at times, a person is always thinking. But since thoughts don’t stop, the test is whether a person will replace the negative thoughts that come to mind with positive ones.

This then is our wish. That we all learn how to fully interact with the real reality around us, unfettered by the perceived limits of space and time, and fully immersed in positivity.

Invisible Technology

Astro Teller, head of Google X, recently delivered a keynote speech at Disrupt NY where he stated something very similar to what we are now explaining. To quote from the TechCrunch article:

“When technology reaches that level of invisibility in our lives, that’s our ultimate goal. It vanishes into our lives. It says: ‘you don’t have to do the work, I’ll do the work.’”

What is our take on this statement? That while technology reminds us of the great potential of the human mind, we also hope for the day when technology becomes invisible. So invisible in fact that we no longer need it at all.

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Yonatan Gordon is a student of Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh, and publishes his writings on InwardNews.com, a new site he co-founded.