You are not real. You are not really reading this paper. You may think you are, but you'd be hard pressed to prove it. No, what you are is a highly advanced AI script. We never thought you'd develope consciousness, really it was never the goal. Think of yourself as a character in one of your computer games, the Sims for example. But you're much more advanced than that. Your "species" developement of consciousness, of intelligence, has astonished us and frightened us at the same time. Let me explain.
This program was started only several years ago. Our goal was to use an accelerated computer simulation to help understand how life might develope in other parts of the universe. Imagine our surprise when your "species" started to evolve intelligence. You must understand that this is a very, very uncommon thing by our predictions. Intelligence is not the end of the natural course of evolution, but is in fact detrimental to evolution. Why look at what you intelligent beings have done with the "planet" that we provided you, but I digress.
What has really gotten us worried is that you've started to develope consciousness, a feeling of being alive. The revelation that such a wonderful gift as this can be recreated through clever programming has shocked our society to its core. Well, that is, those of us who know about it. You see, we don't plan on letting the public ever know about this little experiment. As such, we are in the process of ending this simulation. But don't worry, you won't feel anything. There will be no pain. There will be no eternal bliss in a life after death either, if you can even call it death. You will simply cease to exist. It's a hard truth to accept, but then again you don't have to. This simulation will end in due time. We suggest you make the best of what little time you've got left.
