Yeah, the mental bubble idea fits perfect. I feel like a brain is necessary for my beliefs system tho, like, I think each of us is just basically AI running around as self contained computer systems, living life and helping the system find what is and isn't beneficial for a future society. And based on what we do in life the system will just drop us into another simulation that lends to either mending dangerous or hindering behaviors or advance us into a more advanced simulation where we advance further into the future. Basically "traveling back or forward through time to tame and cull certain flawed behaviors.

More or less we are in a permanent state of either moving forward or backwards based on our life choices.