I agree. I've heard the chair analogy before, and it's a beautiful way to describe the way we can combine what we know with what we believe. I like this entry!
I think everything keeps us from having a full experience of what we are, of who we are. We're so busy processing the remnants of the physical side of things that it's difficult to be in touch with much else. And we go on processing--old stuff too--at the same time we're in the "now" moment, so we're rarely fully in the moment. We're not fully in the now
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Oh, what a positively stunning entry! I feel so blessed that you have chosen to share this aspect of your beliefs. So many times throughout, I found myself nodding along in understanding and agreement. I think you've really hit the proverbial nail on the head with this.
For years I've been attempting to explain my belief that there is no such thing as an objective reality, but have found myself mostly unable to find the proper words with which to make it understandable. But here you are, expressing so perfectly what I have tried for so long to make sense of. Thank you, thank you so much for sharing.
Ah, I remember years ago in church when I used the exact same metaphor for faith, explaining it pretty much the same way. Being big on inside-joke quotes, "Faith is sitting in a chair!" became a memorable one for my friends and I back then. We use faith constantly, effortlessly, thoughtlessly, on a daily basis, yet at other times it is so difficult to wrap one's head around. There must be different degrees of faith.
I agree with you on the subject of reality as well. Reading and watching What the Bleep Do We Know was very... um, reality-altering, I suppose. ;) "You create your own reality" is one of the most amazingly mind-blowing concepts I've ever learned. Not to say that I'm a fantastic practicioner of the concept! I still can't walk through walls or fly, no matter how much I think I can, lol. The objective reality still saturates me, except at certain moments of deep concentration/meditation/enlightenment/whatever you want to call it. Reading certain books or seeing certain movies brings out that created reality, but then it
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oh yeah, that movie was quite mind-blowing for me! so true and intense. And I find it hard to hold on to that focus too, but with practice I am very slowly getting better. ;-)
What you are describing is the philosophy that things still exist outside of perception -- which is not a fact because it cannot be proven. (someone has to perceive it to know if it is there (whether by proxy or in person), so if no one perceives it there is no way to know). What I believe is a different philosophy -- I may not have explained it all that well but that article might help make it clearer. Watching the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know" might also help explain how reality is not quite so solid as many people currently believe.
What if man somehow never learned that the earth was round? That doesn't make it flat. It will still be round no matter what.
However, the fact that the earth was round was not part of anyone's reality. It had no meaning to anyone -- it was not part of the way anyone thought. If a fact has no relevance to any being within my experience, I would not call it truth. It may still be fact, but there is no way to prove that. Perhaps the earth was flat until we thought otherwise -- there is no way to know.
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For years I've been attempting to explain my belief that there is no such thing as an objective reality, but have found myself mostly unable to find the proper words with which to make it understandable. But here you are, expressing so perfectly what I have tried for so long to make sense of. Thank you, thank you so much for sharing.
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and you know what I found when putting this entry together? we aren't the only ones ;-) thrilling reading, that!
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I agree with you on the subject of reality as well. Reading and watching What the Bleep Do We Know was very... um, reality-altering, I suppose. ;) "You create your own reality" is one of the most amazingly mind-blowing concepts I've ever learned. Not to say that I'm a fantastic practicioner of the concept! I still can't walk through walls or fly, no matter how much I think I can, lol. The objective reality still saturates me, except at certain moments of deep concentration/meditation/enlightenment/whatever you want to call it. Reading certain books or seeing certain movies brings out that created reality, but then it ( ... )
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oh yeah, that movie was quite mind-blowing for me! so true and intense. And I find it hard to hold on to that focus too, but with practice I am very slowly getting better. ;-)
thank you!
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However, the fact that the earth was round was not part of anyone's reality. It had no meaning to anyone -- it was not part of the way anyone thought. If a fact has no relevance to any being within my experience, I would not call it truth. It may still be fact, but there is no way to prove that. Perhaps the earth was flat until we thought otherwise -- there is no way to know.
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