23 November 2014

Considering Reality

Reality distills to perception. Naming the concept reality a definitive word like "reality" is deceptive. Naming deceives us with the alluring notion of one true reality.

To the contrary, reality is unique to an individual. The notion of reality is synthesized from our brain processing the aggregated input of our senses.
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
― Albert Einstein
Einstein was likely considering how the rabbit hole of elementary particle physics manifests our perception of reality, but on a macro level Einstein's quote reminds me that reality:
  • like beauty, is in the (eye) senses of the beholder;
  • there is no one true reality, and 
  • our personal reality persists as long as our brains process sensory input. 
Despite our separate realities, mustn't there be common reality? Surely a society functions by consensus reality.

My sense of reality seems illusive because at first pass it seems that I — as an individual— possess the one true reality, but on reflection I realize that can't possibly be true.

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