In the sci-fi story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”, author Philip K. Dick introduces to his readers a futuristic religion based around a very common human emotion, empathy. Empathy plays the biggest role in the book through the global religion known in the novel as Mercerism. The practice of Mercerism centers on a piece of technology known as the empathy box. Users of the empathy box will take this technology by it handles which in turn infuses them into a type of physiological virtual experience. One of the experiences showcases the struggles of a mysterious man named Mercer and his journey up a mountain. Mercer’s journey up the mountain is met with hardship as unidentified bystanders would toss rocks at him as he attempts to ascend to his destination. Mercer would repeatedly fall to the bottom of the mountain but resume to the repeat process of reaching the top. Characters in the book also experience acts of enlightenment with Mercer where they are taught or told something by him that builds their character in the real world. Towards the end of the story, character Rick Deckard seems to have reached a point of enlightenment when he was able to experience the fusion with mercer in the real world without the use of the empathy box. It was then when Rick realized that Mercerism wasn’t just a false religion meant to mind trick people into becoming subordinates. The interesting thing about the empathy box is that not only are you watching this tragedy of Mercer unfold in front of you; everything that happens in this virtual world to the users becomes a reality in the real world. For example, when John Isidore connects to the empathy box and joins mercer on his journey up the hill, the pain he feels by the rocks thrown at him in the virtual world becomes actual injuries in the real world. Everyone that uses the empathy box is connected through this virtual ritual,