Reality, or at least we hope so

How does one define reality?

Is it simply physical?

Or does it include mental?

Emotional?

Spiritual?

How does one decide what is real and what is fake?

Are there spiritual forces at work that cause the things that our oh-so-physical-oriented world cannot explain?

What if you are wrong?

I find it best to cut back on the weed and not think about it so much.

I think reality is relative for each person. We all perceive things differently thus each of us has a unique grasp of "reality".

I don't think reality can be defined by one person. They could only tell you what is "real" or "fake" for them, not for everyone else. Your life experiences (mental, spiritual, physical, emotional) since you were born help you decide if something is real or not.

It's all personal opinion based on whats reality. Reality is, we all have different realities. Stop worrying, and make sure to try several realities, this can be done by, well starting over. meaning, start over, pretend as if you were just born. knowing nothing. go in that state for 2 days straight, then you will be really messed up in the head. this happened to me, from there, you want to start writing things down, bringing thoughts all together on this new reality. the experiences from there will define the new you, and the fun part is, you can always go back.

but trust me, it will feel weired. and sometimes, you'll be caught half half in both realities, making your thoughts very hard to follow. people will call you crazy and so on, but it brings the genius out in you. i got amazing talents i never knew i had. but, i almost got sent to a physic hospital, then i just acted normal to get out of it.


if you value anything physical, or have a mate, do not try this. seriously. it doesn't make you angry or anything, you just lose all values.

[edit on 2-11-2009 by gandhi]

reply to post by bobbyboy

How does one define reality?

Reality is that which is observed.

How does one decide what is real and what is fake?

The observer may decide based on any criteria they choose. However, "real and not-real" is different than "real and fake." If it is observed, it is real, even if it is fake. If you see somebody wearing a witch costume, they may be a "fake witch" but the person in the costume is still real to anyone observing them. But, if you don't observe something at all, then it isn't "real" to you and any question of "fake" or not is irrelevant.

Are there spiritual forces at work that cause the things
that our oh-so-physical-oriented world cannot explain?

What's the difference between a "spiritual" force and a "physical" one?

What if you are wrong?

Explain to me how I am and I may reconsider.



[edit on 2-11-2009 by LordBucket]

reality is a collection of our personal life experiences and how they made us think about another people's "realities"
... almost for me.

I'm inclined to place reality in the helm of the observer. Certainly objective reality is fine on it's own, but to the observer, reality only exists as a product of observation.

The observer is the true reality as it is the observer who realizes the fundamental nature of consciousness. With out consciousness, there is nothingness, with consciousness there is reality.

Reality can simply be consciousness self-realized.

Originally posted by kick Flip
I find it best to cut back on the weed and not think about it so much.

LOL!!! True. This should work.

I spent a lot of time thinking and thinking about reality. But at the end, I concluded, I probably might never understand reality in this physical form (if that's what the purpose of us being here is)....so why not do what we are here to do...enjoy and we'll reality will show itself!

It is relative to your environment, including and especially your mind.

Short and true story.

A friend and I went off one day, leaving suicide notes behind so no one would find us (yeah great idea) and decided to push life to the end. If necessary we were willing to die, come what may we did not care. Our intention was to find freedom, to just go where our feet led us, but the heavy drug induced idea we had hoped to realize was not, because our reality changed.

The most eccentric part of the experience was that it changed equally for both of us as we both saw, felt, understood and thought exactly the same thing.

As he would describe some thing he saw, I saw what he was pointing out, and vise versa. We saw demons in trees, people chasing us to trap and or kill us, voices in the woods etc... Many times we knew the other’s thoughts as we moved as if we were a small pack hunting prey, communicating by instinct. It was absolutely wild and exhilarating.

One of the most memorable events for me was while walking side by side I turned toward him as I pointed at his right shoulder and at the same time said “bird”. He ducked as a black bird swooped down by his shoulder from behind us. That happened in a fraction of a second and we were both looking forward before I turned toward him as if to warn him.?????

I still see these pictures in my mind as if it were yesterday but everything about my life today would argue that there was no way any of that experience happened. But for us it did happen.

I’ve never been psychic except for those few days where we left every care behind and marched off to find life thinking it would likely be found in death. We were both changed and I don’t care who you are you will not convince me that reality is what I think it is or what you think it is.

Reality is only for this instant and gone. It means nothing because as you try to grasp it you fail because it is not sustaining. While you observe it, it is changing and only a memory of the picture your mind created remains.

Your mind creates that picture based upon your input. Your mind also creates the limits, as I am a witness of, when you push away the limits (Not drug induced I nearly died!) the possibilities increase.

No preconceived notions…

reply to post by YouAreDreaming

I'm inclined to place reality in the helm of the observer. Certainly objective reality is fine on it's own, but to the observer, reality only exists as a product of observation.

Yes.

For me, the is issue that even if there is an objective reality...we as observers would have no way to be aware of it except by our own observations...which by definition are subjective.

The whole idea of an objective reality simply isn't very useful. You might as well suggest that there's an invisible magic panda on the moon that nobody can ever see or hear or interact with. It might be true. But so what if it is?

If you are pondering "What is reality?", consider youself very lucky.

There are a lot of people who do not ponder.

They are the starving.

They are those in war zones.

They are those dying of terminal illness.

Originally posted by spellbound
If you are pondering "What is reality?", consider youself very lucky.

There are a lot of people who do not ponder.

They are the starving.

They are those in war zones.

They are those dying of terminal illness.

Or you can ponder all that instead. I'm sure if you talked to those people, they would say life is too short to ruminate negativity.

To OP...If you're seeking infallible answers, no one on earth has them and if you figure those hypothetical answers out yourself, they will only be as good as you're own perception and experience

I find there are different possibilities according to my perspective. Our reality we experience everyday may just be a "shade of a color of a flavor of a food in a bakers oven" so to speak. Or everything could all be very in-personal and it all just is. I lean towards the former.

reply to post by LordBucket


if it is true, then that means you are wrong. that means nothing you say can ever be trusted again. no one can prove you wrong, as it is YOUR reality, YOUR truth, YOUR mind. but, if someone did happen to attempt to prove you wrong, i think you (general) would choose to remain so ignorant as to not consider that possibility, as you feel safe in your own mind (most do). one can see a perception as their own. or you could be truthful with yourself. truth is real, as is reality (obviously). truth is also absolute, when considered correctly. it is just a matter of figuring out whose truth is correct.

and btw, drugs do not influence my thoughts or life, nor have they, nor will they. next time you want to try and bring some false accusation against me, make sure that you have your facts straight. then come against me, and i will be glad to defend myself when you have more useful knowledge of how things run with me.

[edit on 11/3/2009 by bobbyboy]

reply to post by bobbyboy

if it is true, then that means you are wrong.

If what is true?

you (general) would choose to remain so ignorant as to not consider that possibility, as you feel safe in your own mind (most do). one can see a perception as their own. or you could be truthful with yourself.

What does safety have to do with this? How can I possibly be aware of something outside my perception? If I don't perceive it, if I'm not aware of it...how can you expect me to consider it?

What is it that you think I'm not being truthful with myself about?

next time you want to try and bring some false accusation against me

What accusation? Whare are you talking about? Quote me, please.

truth is also absolute, when considered correctly.

Ok. What is the "correct" way to consider it?

The universe has been trying to wake us up, even through childhood, the signs have always been there.


They knew it way back when,


Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

reply to post by LordBucket


if anything you say is true turns out to be false. like i said, i was speaking in general terms.

one can know something without being totally aware of it. the unconscious mind tends to prove this everyday.

i was meaning that last part for the one called "kickflip". he/she accused me of doing drugs and i am highly against that and have never and will never do such things.

and as for the correct way of viewing reality, i (personally) believe that God's view is truth. anything He says should not be taken lightly, but should be what we consider to be true. the only problem is, He didn't address all of life's problems in the Bible. problems we run into everyday.

Reality is preception...Now prove that preception! You can't.

Without using your senses prove that any matter exists. You can't.

Just a we preceive color we preceive matter. So then we cannot determine by any scientific method what reality is. It's only what we preceive.

Phil

Originally posted by bobbyboy
How does one define reality?

You can't.

How does one decide what is real and what is fake?

You can't. There is no difference.

What if you are wrong?

Everyone here is confused, including me.

Originally posted by spellbound
If you are pondering "What is reality?", consider youself very lucky.

There are a lot of people who do not ponder.

They are the starving.

They are those in war zones.

They are those dying of terminal illness.

Luck is not a subjective perception as each individual has a different perspective in each situation of every moment in time and space depending on their own state of mind.
As I have perceived through my own experience that some but not all of these
peoples feel "lucky" in their own field of experience. And I have observed and had first hand experience that some of the poorest people on the planet
have been happier, more smiling more friendlier than a lot of the supposedly rich and well off materially and financially of this world-reality.
Hence someone in a warzone who survives to live another day will feel a different style and probably more fullfilling type of "luck" than one who wins a Lotto Jackpot in the Country that is not in a warzone.
Then there are cases of those with terminal illnesses who actually start living their life and start appreciating every encounter and opportunity each day brings instead of those of us who take everything for granted and get road rage, work rage, computer Rage, family Rage and get raged about anything worth raging about and feel like just ending their life because of all the damn rage in their own state of mind

[edit on 4-11-2009 by Epsillion70]

Reality is two perfectly stainless mirrors facing each other. Both are flat and have no true form purely in and of themseves, yet their interaction creates the illusion of infinite depth. Give one or both a slight twist and endless patterns ripple down the hall of infinity, growing in complexity and perplexity as they expand and interact with each other. Yet at the end of the day, its only two mirrors...or perhaps even one mirror bent so its two ends can reflect each other. Come and play!

[edit on 11/4/09 by silent thunder]