Illusion and Reality
abracad, · Categories: spiritualityIs all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream? Edgar Allan Poe.
We each carry inside us a model of what we consider to be reality or truth. However, our concept of reality is inevitably incomplete, for reality in its entirety is too great and too complex to be understood by our finite minds. This incapacity to fully grasp reality is echoed in the scientific principle of quantum indeterminacy.
Everybody's concept of reality is unique. Each version represents a different subset of the single, whole, truth; but also incorporates different illusions into its representation of what is real.
The most fundamental question on the nature of reality is whether it exists at all beyond the boundary of the percipient. Philosophical idealism, eg as proposed by Berkeley, asserts there is no external reality beyond the constructs of mind. Descartes earlier proclaimed: “I think, therefore I amâ€; proving the existence of self but setting this fact as a limit of certainty, since all other knowledge could be delusion.
Since literal acceptance of Cartesian doubt would lead to paralysis by uncertainty we must instead construct a world view, and exercise our free will, on the basis of probability, ie what is most likely given the accumulated evidence of our experience to date.
Our current model of reality has been shaped by many things. We are born with certain instincts, eg no one has to teach us how to breathe, and - from a Spiritual perspective - certain innate characteristics pertaining to our life purpose. This initial state is then shaped by the many influences that we experience as we progress through life. Our early days are likely spent with our parents and other immediate family, and so we broadly adopt their model of reality as our own. As we progress through life so our model changes and grows in response to the influence of teachers, friends, colleagues, even passing strangers.
In the current information age we are increasingly influenced by the media (eg the celebrity culture), and in particular the modern wonder that is the Internet. Never before have we had so much information at our fingertips, and yet rarely has it been harder to make sense of that overwhelming volume of information, never mind sifting the truth from the dross. In the short-term this information overload increases uncertainty as to what is real, but in the longer term gives us a greater chance of aligning belief with truth as we are exposed to ever more facts and opinions to inform our judgment of what is most likely true.
Along the way we inevitably acquire numerous sacred cows, ie potentially false beliefs that we hold as absolute truths. These can be incredibly hard to abandon, even in the face of indisputable evidence. Our beliefs can become part of our very being, and to challenge them is to challenge our sense of identity.
The sacred cow trap can be avoided by reminding ourselves that our particular model of reality is an eternal work in progress. While we can and should use our current understanding to guide our free choice, we should also maintain a constantly open mind to fresh influence, and a willingness to modify our world view when appropriate.
One of our main life tasks is to seek what is real, ie to distinguish truth from the multitude of illusory influences that bombard our senses and thoughts. Our mission is to build and refine a personal concept of reality that shapes our life choices and ultimately determines the success or otherwise of those choices.
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