Why the World Feels Fake: The "Truman Show" Feeling, NPCs, and the Search for What Is Real

You look around and wonder...

"Does anyone else see what I'm seeing?"

People rush from place to place.

Most stare at their phones.

The same conversations repeat.

The same arguments.

The same routines.

The same fears.

The same distractions.

Sometimes it almost feels like everyone is running a script.

Like you're living inside The Truman Show.

Like you're awake while everyone else seems asleep.

Over the years I've heard thousands of people describe this exact feeling.

Many even use the phrase "NPCs"—borrowed from video games—to describe people who seem to move through life on autopilot without ever questioning anything.

If you've ever felt this way...

You're not alone.

But I also believe there's something incredibly important we need to understand before we draw conclusions about the people around us.

Why Does the World Feel Fake?

I don't believe the world is fake.

I believe much of human behavior is automatic.

Psychology has long recognized that people rely on habits, routines, and learned behaviors to navigate everyday life. Our brains constantly simplify decisions so we don't have to consciously analyze every moment.

That efficiency helps us function.

But it also means many people move through life without regularly examining the beliefs and assumptions guiding them.

We wake up.

Go to work.

Pay bills.

Scroll social media.

Watch television.

Repeat.

Weeks become months.

Months become years.

Eventually life begins feeling less like living...

...and more like surviving.

That's why so many people describe life as feeling unreal.

Not because reality is fake.

Because awareness has become rare.

The Illusion of Autopilot

One of the biggest ideas I explore in The Other 95% is that much of our lives are shaped by subconscious programming.

Long before we choose our careers...

Our opinions...

Our fears...

Our confidence...

Our relationships...

We've already been influenced by parents.

Schools.

Culture.

Religion.

Media.

Advertising.

Politics.

Past experiences.

Social expectations.

Most of this programming happens long before we're old enough to question it.

Then one day...

Something happens.

You begin asking questions.

Why do I believe this?

Who told me this?

Is this actually true?

Who would I be without this programming?

That's when many people begin feeling like they've "woken up."

The Truman Show Feeling

I think many people relate to The Truman Show because it captures a deeply human experience.

Truman slowly realizes the world he assumed was normal isn't exactly what it appeared to be.

Again, I'm not suggesting our lives are literally a television show.

The movie resonates because it reflects what happens when someone begins questioning the assumptions they've always accepted.

Spiritual awakening often feels similar.

Not because you've escaped reality...

Because you've begun paying attention to it.

The questions become impossible to ignore.

Why do we chase success without peace?

Why do we consume endless information without becoming wiser?

Why do we compare ourselves to strangers?

Why do we spend more time looking at screens than looking into each other's eyes?

Why does so much of modern life feel disconnected from what truly matters?

Those questions change people.

Are People Really NPCs?

I understand why people use the term.

Sometimes it genuinely feels as though people are repeating scripts they never wrote.

But I personally avoid calling people NPCs.

Why?

Because I believe every human being possesses extraordinary potential.

Every person has a story.

Every person carries pain.

Every person has hopes.

Every person has fears.

Every person has subconscious programming influencing how they experience the world.

When someone appears asleep...

Perhaps they haven't yet had the experience that caused them to begin questioning.

Perhaps they're overwhelmed.

Perhaps they're surviving.

Perhaps they're hurting.

Perhaps they're simply living from programming they've never learned to recognize.

I don't see NPCs.

I see people who may not yet realize how much more is possible.

That changes everything.

The Greatest Prison Is Invisible

Most prisons have walls.

The most powerful prison doesn't.

It's built from beliefs.

Fear.

Conditioning.

Approval.

Identity.

Limiting stories.

Messages repeated thousands of times until they become invisible.

The most difficult prison to escape is the one you don't realize you're living inside.

That's why awareness matters so much.

Not because awareness makes us superior.

Because awareness makes us free.

The Divine Algorithm

Throughout my work I describe something I call The Divine Algorithm.

It's my framework for understanding the incredible guidance I believe God has already placed within every person.

Most people spend their lives searching for someone else to tell them who they are.

I believe God has already placed an incredible compass within us.

It speaks through:

Intuition.

Peace.

Conscience.

Love.

Wisdom.

Discernment.

Recurring life patterns.

Quiet moments that refuse to leave us alone.

The problem isn't that guidance is absent.

The problem is that constant noise keeps us from hearing it.

Why Stillness Feels So Uncomfortable

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is for many people to sit quietly?

No phone.

No music.

No television.

No scrolling.

Just silence.

For many people...

That feels almost impossible.

Why?

Because silence removes distraction.

When distraction disappears...

We meet ourselves.

Sometimes that's beautiful.

Sometimes it's uncomfortable.

But I believe it's necessary.

It's one reason focused breathing and meditation became such an important part of my own life.

Not because they help me escape reality.

Because they help me experience it more honestly.

The Heart Compass

One of the ideas I write about most often is the Heart Compass.

The Heart Compass isn't driven by trends.

Politics.

Algorithms.

Approval.

Or fear.

It quietly points toward:

Truth.

Integrity.

Peace.

Compassion.

Love.

Purpose.

The more time we spend listening to everyone else...

The harder it becomes to hear it.

The more time we spend becoming still...

The clearer it becomes.

You Don't Need to Escape the World

Sometimes people who begin questioning everything want to leave society altogether.

I understand the feeling.

But I don't think that's the answer.

The goal isn't escaping the world.

It's learning how to live consciously within it.

Jesus didn't isolate Himself from people.

He walked among them.

Loved them.

Served them.

Challenged them.

He wasn't controlled by the culture around Him.

But neither did He abandon it.

I believe we're called to do the same.

What If You're the One Waking Up?

If life has started feeling different...

If conversations that once interested you no longer do...

If you're craving truth more than entertainment...

If you've begun questioning everything...

Don't panic.

Don't become arrogant.

And don't assume everyone else is incapable of growth.

Remember...

Someone once had patience with you.

Stay humble.

Keep learning.

Love people well.

Ask honest questions.

Remain teachable.

Growth isn't about becoming better than others.

It's about becoming more fully yourself.

Why I Created This Ecosystem

Everything I've written—The Other 95%, The Heart Compass, The Divine Algorithm, Who Programmed You?, and The Way Within Church—grew from one simple observation.

Most people aren't living from conscious awareness.

They're living from subconscious programming.

I don't believe people need another guru.

Another ideology.

Another system demanding blind obedience.

I believe people need practical tools that help them understand themselves.

That's why my work combines neuroscience, psychology, human behavior, spiritual practice, focused breathing, journaling, and the teachings of Jesus into one conversation.

Not to tell people what to think.

To help them learn how to think more consciously.

My Hope for You

If you've ever felt like you were living in The Truman Show...

If you've wondered why so much of modern life feels artificial...

If you've struggled with the feeling that something important has been forgotten...

I want you to know something.

You're probably not searching for a different world.

You're searching for a more authentic way to live within this one.

Don't let that search make you cynical.

Let it make you compassionate.

Don't let it isolate you.

Let it deepen your understanding of people.

Don't let it convince you everyone else is asleep.

Remember that every person is carrying a story you'll never fully know.

The greatest awakening isn't discovering that everyone else is wrong.

It's discovering that love, truth, awareness, and God can transform the way you experience every moment of your life.

I believe that's the real awakening.

Not escaping reality.

Finally becoming fully present within it.

Because when you stop living on autopilot...

When you become aware of your subconscious programming...

When you begin following your Heart Compass...

When you recognize the Divine Algorithm...

And when you pursue the Kingdom of God within...

You realize something extraordinary.

The world didn't suddenly become more real.

You did.