Creating Your Own Reality - Part 2
September 29th 2006 10:03
"What we think, we become." - Buddha
If we choose to accept the notion that what we generally refer to as 'reality' is defined by our perception of it and the fact that we can change this perception whenever we decide, we must also acknowledge the implications that this gives rise to both from a philosophical and sociological point of view.
It would logically follow then, that if one was somehow able to convince a person to perceive an object or event in a particular way then you could essentially control the way that the object or event appears to them and hence influence their 'Personal Reality'. If other people were then manipulated in the same way, they would, as a matter of course, provide a 'Social Concensus' and therefore give the object/event credibility in 'General Reality' and make it by definition real.
For example, there are many ways in which we see the variety of people and cultures in the world as somehow different from ourselves. What is the real defining factor that differentiates you from your neighbour?
I live in Wales, a small country in the UK next to England. In my opinion the only thing that seperates me, as a Welshman, from my neighbour the Englishman is the border, a line drawn across the map by some King or Queen centuries ago (I dont know by who or when, nor do I care). However, there is throughout Wales a fierce patriotism to the degree that the average Welshmen would become offended or even agressive at the thought of being considered English. This, of course, is nonsense. As HH The Dalai Lama says in his book 'The Art of Happiness', "We can always relate to any other human being, at the very least on that level, as human beings". We all have, regardless of anything else, this quality in common. This then leads to a number of other factors that join us all together in our path through life. Birth, death, the pursuit of happiness to name just a few.
However, there are many barriers such as borders, language, culture & religion that leave us with a feeling of seperation & distance from the other humans in the world. These barriers provide the context for our perceiving other people and when viewed within this context we cant help but to see other people as being intrinsically different to ourselves. As soon as this opinion is adopted by the masses it is given 'General Concensus' passes into 'General Reality' and is made fact (when perceiving people in this way we cannot deny that there is at least some kind of difference between Muslims & Jews, Americans & Iraqis etc).
So, how do we go about changing our perspective on the world, altering our 'personal reality' and therefore taking the steps to creating a new 'genereal reality'?
I would suggest that it is purely a matter of awareness. Once we are aware of the fact that reality is dependant on our view we can choose to experience it from another perspective. To quote C G Jung, one of the founders of modern psychology, "It all depends on how we look at things and not how they are in themselves".
In reference to the above example we can consciously decide to see all the people of the world as seperated through borders, religion etc. or we can choose to see them all as connected through our relationship as human beings. As Socrates once said "I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world." This principle of looking at things differently can be applied to any situation, the darkest hour of the night can be considered to be then end of the day or the beginning of the dawn. Any problems we come aross in our life can be seen as a crisis that holds us back or as an opportunity for learning and growth. The more people agree with us or view the world from the same perspective, the closer we become to making any given definition or reality 'true'.
We can take back our reality anytime we want and recreate it however we choose.
"Its just a choice right now between fear and love." - Bill Hicks
Peace
Relevant Links:
Einstein & Buddhism
HH The Fourteenth Dalai Lama
C G Jung
Jung article at Wikipedia
Bill Hicks Quotes
Buddha (Wikipedia)
It would logically follow then, that if one was somehow able to convince a person to perceive an object or event in a particular way then you could essentially control the way that the object or event appears to them and hence influence their 'Personal Reality'. If other people were then manipulated in the same way, they would, as a matter of course, provide a 'Social Concensus' and therefore give the object/event credibility in 'General Reality' and make it by definition real.
For example, there are many ways in which we see the variety of people and cultures in the world as somehow different from ourselves. What is the real defining factor that differentiates you from your neighbour?
HH The XIV Dalai Lama (Wikipedia)
However, there are many barriers such as borders, language, culture & religion that leave us with a feeling of seperation & distance from the other humans in the world. These barriers provide the context for our perceiving other people and when viewed within this context we cant help but to see other people as being intrinsically different to ourselves. As soon as this opinion is adopted by the masses it is given 'General Concensus' passes into 'General Reality' and is made fact (when perceiving people in this way we cannot deny that there is at least some kind of difference between Muslims & Jews, Americans & Iraqis etc).
So, how do we go about changing our perspective on the world, altering our 'personal reality' and therefore taking the steps to creating a new 'genereal reality'?
C.G. Jung (Wikipedia)
In reference to the above example we can consciously decide to see all the people of the world as seperated through borders, religion etc. or we can choose to see them all as connected through our relationship as human beings. As Socrates once said "I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world." This principle of looking at things differently can be applied to any situation, the darkest hour of the night can be considered to be then end of the day or the beginning of the dawn. Any problems we come aross in our life can be seen as a crisis that holds us back or as an opportunity for learning and growth. The more people agree with us or view the world from the same perspective, the closer we become to making any given definition or reality 'true'.
We can take back our reality anytime we want and recreate it however we choose.
"Its just a choice right now between fear and love." - Bill Hicks
Peace
Relevant Links:
Einstein & Buddhism
HH The Fourteenth Dalai Lama
C G Jung
Jung article at Wikipedia
Bill Hicks Quotes
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Comment by Anonymous
Often, the American teachings of this focus on wealth creation - but some of the more credible teachings focus on spiritual well being and peace.
The scientific basis for the theory rests tenuously on quantum physics - the law of "attraction" - what you think about is what is attracted to you.
Browsing the web, I have not yet found anything that explains how this theory is actually related to quantum physics. Most sites just gloss over anything technical.
It would be interesting to find out if there is a reliable basis for this method.