Without warning, the Great Pyramid of Giza flipped itself upside down. I had just landed in Cairo when it happened. Tourists and residents didn’t know what to think. Before that point, the monument sat comfortably on its base. Now it sits precariously on its tip. The modern buildings surrounding the pyramid now lie in the shadow of its outwardly sloping sides. In order to appease the tenants in these buildings, and to stem any fears of a massive collapse, engineers were immediately called to gauge the structural integrity of the reversed pyramid. After the engineers came the religious leaders. They all traveled to Cairo from across the world hoping to see the monument for themselves. Scientists were as perplexed as ever. Many theorized that the sudden reversal was a sign that we all live in a simulated reality. Others felt that the whole thing was an elaborate optical illusion created by the Egyptian Government to garner publicity. Many theories have been put forward to explain the unusual event. Perhaps the most interesting was the theory of Dr. M. Branson of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Branson was convinced that the solution to the mystery was not to be found in hard science, but psychology. Branson’s theory was remarkably simple: The pyramid was always this way. Our minds have simply been conditioned to believe that the monument sits right side up. In his paper on the subject, Branson argued that this delusion stems from the time when the pyramid was first built over 4,500 years ago. According to Branson, when the pyramid was first completed, everyone who saw it found the design so bizarre and contrary to common sense that their minds reversed its orientation to correct it. Over time, the delusion spread as travelers wrote about the monument and depicted it in artwork. Eventually, all of humanity came to believe that it sat right side up. But even a delusion this powerful could not last indefinitely. It began to break down in the 20th century when modern sensibilities started to make the pyramid’s true shape seem less outlandish. When the delusion finally broke in one person, it didn’t take long for it to break in everyone. Still, Branson’s theory is far from proven. To this day, the strange event remains a mystery. It’s been three years since the night of the reversal. As a frequent traveler to Cairo, I still haven’t gotten used to the monument’s new shape. However, with time, I believe I will. It looks so unwieldy upside down, but eventually, I’m sure I’ll see the beauty in it. Soon, I won’t even remember what it looked like before. It will seem normal, as if it were never any other way. 27
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