Reality, Clear as Mud?

Seeing with new eyes

One of the most fundamental things to understand is the nature of reality. Most of us think because we see an object or an event we are seeing things as they are. As if we are objective observers sitting outside of the situation performing an independent analysis. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What we see is more of a function of what we “think” or “want’ to see, there is no such thing as objectivity. Why? For most of our entire lives we have been taught in school that objectivity was a fundamental pillar of understanding our world.

New findings in physics have confirmed what some ancient and eastern philosophies have been telling us for ages. Without providing the entire background for those who are interested in this topic it is covered in the book by Fritjof Capra entitled The Tao of Physics. Simply put, the macro world of physics was turned upside down when they tried to explain the micro world of sub-atomic physics. This gave rise to the Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which says if you can either measure a particles position or momentum, but never both.

The fundamental shift in understanding was that the observer influences was is being observed! By the mere act of trying to measure a particles activity, that act influenced the results. Reworded, there was no separation possible, no objectivity, no me, the scientist/observer and no object/observed, only the combination determined reality.

What what does all of this have to do with you or me? As we live our lives, we hold in our minds that what we observe as reality separate from ourselves, we seek an level of objectivity. This is an illusion. What you see isn’t the reality you think it is, that’s a fact. In part, you are creating the reality that you are experiencing, there is no separation.

In a good mood, chances are every thing you experience from there will have a different feel, upbeat, positive, you can conquer the world. In a bad mood, your reality will flow from that as well, nothing ever works out for me, no way this is going to work, nothing ever goes my way. Both are these view points similar to the proverbial glass half empty or half full.

Remember, the glass can be half empty, half full or both, its all a matter of perspective.