"What If" Ponderings

What if the world as we know it, does not exist?  We might automatically think, The Matrix.  I, however, am not really thinking along those lines.
What if, at some point in history, humans were considered too much of a danger to themselves and others? If you ask me, this is not too far-fetched at times. What if technology enabled humans to be encased in a sensory pod, creating realistic sensations that would be recognizable (i.e. this is a chair, table etc.)? What if, with that technology, only a few lived outside the pods to take care of creating a population and encasing infants in new pods.

If that were the case, would your story be about those living outside the pods?  Perhaps you would choose to write mostly about those living inside the pods, or perhaps you would have a malfunction of the technology  which creates a backlash, causing a multitude of people to realize that nothing was as it seemed. The population would not be millions, it would perhaps be a few hundred for the sake of variety.  They would have been the most prime specimens of humanity to eradicate disease and low I.Q.s.  When they awake, they would have to realize their true potential and start an entirely different life.  How would their perceptions in the sensory pods carry over to the real world?  Would they be the same people, or would they change drastically?

So many possibilities for a story, just from asking that one little question of a seemingly absurd nature, and then asking more "What if"s.  Perhaps you maintain that it is an absurd endeavor altogether.  I believe that this is the stuff great literature is made of.  People who dare to ask absurd "what if" questions, and then wholeheartedly follow them into whatever conclusion emerges.  The imagination can take us anywhere which makes books and writing so incredibly amazing.  There is (or in my opinion, never should be) a dull moment, although that is easier said than done.

That is all for my random musings of the day. Happy writing and pondering everyone!