The idea of a parallel world is a very loose term. While the idea conjures up imagery of science fiction tales including time travel, wormholes and space exploration, the term is more based in reality than we believe. While people haven’t discovered any alternate dimensions, our actual world is devised up of an endless amount of cultures and lands to explore. Now with new technology such as television and the Internet people can suddenly conjure up images all over the world. With this new technology people can see images never seen before however the price of this is a loss of exploration.
It is hard to believe that a few hundred years ago that the planet was uncharted and mysterious. The idea of a someone discovering a new continent must have been the closest to discovering a true parallel world. One of the most famous and memorable fiction made about this feeling is the comic strip Little Nemo. The comic strip, which began in 1871, followed the boy Nemo who while sleeping would travel to slumber land and have various adventures. While this parallel world was a surreal and fantasy world filled with magic and monsters the world was clearly a caricature of the real world. When Nemo dreamt that he was in the ice kingdom he was in Russia and when he was in the jungle he was actually in Russia. The comic shows the childlike feeling people have while discovering new things. And while Little Nemo shows the brighter side of colonization, it gives a glimpse into a world filled with wonder and mystery that does not exist anymore.
Although the planet is now fully mapped and, humans are still trying to find ways to simulate the feeling of exploration. Video games emerge such as Second Life where people literally build and create their own worlds. And while the feeling of walking through a poorly constructed 3D environment may not compare to discovering Africa, it shows that there is a need and desire for discovering a parallel world.
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