If everyone in the world disappeared apart from me.

I'm wondering what I would do if I woke up one morning, and apparently every single other person in the world had simply vanished. Presumably that first morning I'd still have electricity, but perhaps no internet. So I would be wondering why I'm not getting the Internet. I'd ring up BT (my ISP) and not get any answer. After ringing around a few places with no responses, it'll suddenly impinge upon me that I cannot hear any traffic. I go outside, and I cannot see or hear anyone at all! I walk into the town centre and the place is wholly deserted, and all the shops are closed! So what would I do then?

I note that cars are on the road and crashed into each other and buildings. So it's as if everyone just simply suddenly vanished -- except me. But I also note that birds are still alive and insects. So the first thing I would do is try and find someone else, start shouting etc. At some point I hear a dog barking. It's behind someone's door in someone's house. Do I break in at this point to rescue it? I think maybe.

As the day wears on, and maybe electricity gets cut off?? (no idea how long I would have electricity), I'm going to have to think about rescuing as many animals as possible as they'll all soon die of dehydration. Dogs and cats from peoples' homes, pet shops and zoos.


Over the long term I'd keep a lot of the dogs and cats for pets, they'd make great company. And move to a huge mansion in lovely countryside overlooking the sea. Trouble is I have no practical skills so would have no idea how to obtain electricity. Need electricity for PC too . .hmmm . . maybe I could find some mansion that runs off solar power? Thankfully my watch uses solar power. I can just raid the supermarkets for tins of food. Grow fruit and stuff too. Tins of dog and cat food also from the supermarkets for all my pets.


Of course I could never know I was the only person left alive in the world. Perhaps 1 in 10 million, or 1 in 100 million survived. That would give me a goal in life, to locate any other survivors. And when I do, she would look at me in stunned disbelief, then run toward me crying and sobbing into my arms saying she thought she was the only one. Then we could procreate and restart the human race.

But, if I were really the only one, and I somehow managed to obtain electricity, then I think my life might be bearable. Sitting outside drinking ice cold bottles of becks with a couple of dogs at my feet, watching the sea crash against the cliffs, and if at night, looking at the stars in the night sky brilliant in their intensity since there wouldn't be any light pollution.


Edited to add. Now this looks as if it could be an ideal place to live in.

They live!

I'll have to get some of these sunglasses. I want to know who the aliens are. Hopefully not everyone apart from me!



via GIPHY

There are 2 possibilities

There's 2 possibilities:

a) This is the only life there is. When we die we simply cease to exist. Our lives and the Universe are, in a sense, ultimately absurd. In that case nothing we do ultimately matters. How much money we accumulate and our social status are transitory and ultimately unfulfilling, and in the end are to no avail since we all end up in the same boat -- namely eternal non-existence. I suggest instead we just live our lives, have a laugh, have a few drinks, be kind to others, but most importantly of all not to take life too seriously.

b) Or there is a "life after death", and perhaps an ultimate purpose to our existence and to all things. But if we continue to exist after death, why do we think what we achieve in this life is so terribly important? If there is some ultimate purpose to life, we don't know what it is, but presumably it will have nothing to do with how much money we accumulate and our social status. I suggest instead we just live our lives, have a laugh, have a few drinks, be kind to others, but most importantly of all not to take life too seriously.

Was the Universe caused?

Suppose we observe a chain of toppling dominoes. Which would be the best explanation for why they are all falling over?

a) The very first domino just fell over all by itself without any cause whatsoever.

b) The chain of dominoes is infinitely long so no first falling domino is required.

c) An external agent pushed the very first one over.

"a" is to give up on a rational explanations. If the first domino falls all by itself, then why can't all the other dominoes just fall by themselves?


"b" simply leaves unanswered as to why an infinite chain of dominoes exist. It either exists without a cause -- in which case again we have to give up on a rational explanation -- or they were caused by an external agent.

Opting for "a" or "b" is to give up on providing an explanation. Only "c" is viable.

The same goes for the entire physical Universe (and no, what caused God is not a valid refutation).