Whether you succeed in life depends more on your intentions than on how much you know. This is the Intentionality Model of Life, an idea rooted in the possibility that we live in a computer simulation. If our reality is a purposeful, game-like creation, then our role is to understand the reward structure: figuring out which actions reap positive outcomes and which lead to negative ones so we can keep “leveling up.”
The Flaw in the Knowledge-Based Approach
Most people believe that to succeed, you must constantly acquire more knowledge. The formula is usually Knowledge + Action = Success. However, there is a fundamental problem with this: in a simulation, there is no such thing as “solid” or immutable knowledge.
Even our most “solid” truths like the laws of physics or nutritional science change constantly. Newton’s laws were once the ultimate truth until Einstein arrived. Decades ago, the food pyramid and seed oils were considered healthy. Today, that science has flipped. We often interpret these shifts as “discovering new science,” but in a simulation, it’s possible the reality itself is simply being updated to throw new challenges at us.
If what we know today will be falsified tomorrow, then knowledge is a never-ending treadmill.
The Decision Matrix and “Rendering” Reality
The Intentionality Model suggests that knowledge acts as a filter that renders your reality. Consider these examples:
The Sugar/Cigarette Paradox: If you have been convinced to your core that sugar is poison, that knowledge is rendered into your reality. If you eat it, it harms you. However, you may see people in remote villages who consume sugar or smoke profusely and remain healthy as a horse. In their reality, that specific harm hasn’t been rendered because the knowledge is absent.
The Microplastic Example: Once you learn about the dangers of microplastics, your “decision matrix” expands. A person without this knowledge feels no guilt using plastic containers, nor any harm. But once you have that knowledge, it becomes part of your reality.
Intentionality: The Ultimate Reward Structure
The simulation may be designed to reward you based on your intentions relative to the knowledge you possess.
When you know a certain path is harmful but you choose it anyway for pleasure or convenience, you feel a tinge of guilt. That guilt is a signal that you are intentionally choosing the “wrong path.” Because you acted against your own understanding, the simulation provides a negative outcome.
Conversely, someone who lacks that specific knowledge isn’t “intentionally” choosing a wrong path, they are just doing what they believe is right. Therefore, they may still receive positive outcomes in the game of life.
The Takeaway: Do the Right Thing
Even if you find Simulation Theory far-fetched, the practical takeaway remains powerful: You almost always know what the right thing to do is.
If you want to lose weight, you know the right thing is to exercise.
If you have a choice between junk food and healthy food, you know which choice aligns with a good life.
Knowledge is a great pursuit, but it is secondary. For a fulfilling life, focus on your intentionality. Based on the knowledge you have right now, always strive to choose the right path. If you intentionally choose the right thing whenever you are faced with a decision, life (or the simulation) will reward you with success, happiness, and a sense of fulfillment.