Reality: Is It Real?

For as long as I can remember, I have had strange thoughts concerning reality, or more so, our interpretation of it. Are we really living in reality, or are we in a perpetual dream state? Or perhaps we are the dreams from the real us in another dimension? Maybe that's what dejavu is. Some things I can't understand such as an event that happened yesterday. Driving home from work, and listening to the radio. Some old song was playing, and yet the AC/DC song TNT was running through my mind. When the old song ended, you guessed it, TNT started playing on the radio. I've had this happen quite a lot. how does my mind know what is coming? If I try to concentrate on it, nothing works. It only seems to work when my mind is drifting.

I have also had dreams that were so realistic, that I have to sit for a few minutes to figure out if I am awake or not. On one such occasion, I dreamed of giant red and black spiders. After waking up, I went to google, and low and behold they exist! They are found in the Amazon. Now how on earth could I have dreamed about something that I did not know existed? This has also happened on more than one occasion. So this leaves me to ponder our current view of reality. Are the things we are witnessing actually our parallel universes coming into close proximity to each other? Does this explain so many weird occurrences lately?

Anyone else out there that experiences these things? I gotta believe there are more people like me.

reply to post by haarvik


There are times when, just for a split second, I feel as though this whole existence is either something far more... or at least, far different than what we perceive. It's like briefly touching something that I know, but cannot access. There's a truth to all of it that I understand on some deeper level that is jussssst out of reach.

There's a lot more to this line of thought... but I don't want to abduct your OP, lol.

This reality is real, in the sense that we seem to exist within it. I'm just not sure if it isn't a form of synthetic reality and that not all of us are sentient.

reply to post by redoubt

I'm just not sure if it isn't a form of synthetic reality

Here's a task for you: define what a "real" reality is.

Who knows.

Just wanted to take the opportunity to point you towards some food for thought.

Documentary "What is reality?". It picks up on holographic universe. Enjoy.

We are half God and half Materia
Reality must be a joke...we have to get out of here.

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder
reply to post by redoubt

 

I'm just not sure if it isn't a form of synthetic reality

Here's a task for you: define what a "real" reality is.

Reality is what we perceive it to be on a strictly personal level. What I mean by this is that... any number of 'experts' on the subject could pour out miles of detailed explanations but... it is still us, locked and alone in these physical machines, that must interpret and digest our environment for what it is to us.

I have no doubt that there is a common truth that is shared across the broad spectrum of that perception. But it is, in the end, a very personal matter for the individual soul to discover what that is and what it means.

reply to post by redoubt


So would you subscribe to the string theory? I think that it may be a plausible explanation into why we have these moments of either premonition or dejavu. Of course it may also be that knowing we only use 10% of our brain, maybe in some of us, a larger percentage becomes active and this is why we see things. Perhaps at some point in our past we actually did use more of our brains. Maybe this is why there are the pyramids, or some of the other mysteries we can't seem to explain. But then that raises the question as to if we did use more, what happened to make use decrease the use of our brains?

Originally posted by haarvik
reply to post by redoubt

 

So would you subscribe to the string theory? I think that it may be a plausible explanation into why we have these moments of either premonition or dejavu. Of course it may also be that knowing we only use 10% of our brain, maybe in some of us, a larger percentage becomes active and this is why we see things. Perhaps at some point in our past we actually did use more of our brains. Maybe this is why there are the pyramids, or some of the other mysteries we can't seem to explain. But then that raises the question as to if we did use more, what happened to make use decrease the use of our brains?

This urban myth is getting annoying. It has been clarified again and again that the notion that humans only use 10% of their brain is plain wrong. Well, maybe the people who propagate this idea do. It is amazing that people still come up with this time and time again.

Now you know better.

reply to post by CriticalCK


Ok, so knowing that, you also have to admit we do not use 100% of our brain. So that still leaves open the possibility that using more of it may give more insight into things?

Originally posted by haarvik
reply to post by redoubt

 

So would you subscribe to the string theory? I think that it may be a plausible explanation into why we have these moments of either premonition or dejavu. Of course it may also be that knowing we only use 10% of our brain, maybe in some of us, a larger percentage becomes active and this is why we see things. Perhaps at some point in our past we actually did use more of our brains. Maybe this is why there are the pyramids, or some of the other mysteries we can't seem to explain. But then that raises the question as to if we did use more, what happened to make use decrease the use of our brains?

It could simply be all part of a scenario being played out for the benefit of those who are here for the purpose of the experience. This line of thinking assumes that the majority of us are part of the programming and only a few are sentient.

The string theory and everything else, is all part of the scenario. We aren't meant to reach the answers easily or quickly. It about the experience gained of mortality and a physical existence.

Think that's nuts? I do... but I can't leave it alone, lol.

reply to post by redoubt

any number of 'experts' on the subject could pour out miles of detailed explanations but... it is still us, locked and alone in these physical machines, that must interpret and digest our environment for what it is to us.

That's a very good point and I agree, but I was aiming for a slightly difference response. I was asking what sort of reality would you consider to be real and not synthetic? Lets say the Big Bang theory is correct, and a bunch of stuff just suddenly exploded into existence from no where. Wouldn't that some how suggest this reality is based upon something not as solid we would like to think? What if we are inside a virtual reality right now, is that something you would consider to be synthetic? What I am getting at, there is no such thing as a completely "real" reality, so it hardly matters if this Universe is one big computer program or just a dream. When you exit the virtual reality or wake up from the dream, don't expect to enter the "real world".

reply to post by ChaoticOrder


You may be correct. Perhaps we are nothing more than an atom in the structure of a larger object, much in the same fashion as the atoms we find in our objects. Perhaps, since we are made of atoms and matter, what we view as reality is actually atoms racing in high speed and the remnants of what was reality is now being replayed, but we see it as a true and real existence. In physics, for every action there is an equal, and opposite reaction. So our reality may be the reaction of the opposite occurring on another place or dimension?

reply to post by ChaoticOrder

I was asking what sort of reality would you consider to be real and not synthetic? Lets say the Big Bang theory is correct, and a bunch of stuff just suddenly exploded into existence from no where. Wouldn't that some how suggest this reality is based upon something not as solid we would like to think? What if we are inside a virtual reality right now, is that something you would consider to be synthetic?

Where does it begin and end? Is this physical universe real or is it part of the same program scenario? Who or what is behind it?

How does one distinguish the sentient being from the synthetic program being? How many of us are here in this (for lack of a better term) game?

I dunno. That's still up ahead somewhere, around the corner and in those fleeting shadows that tease with split seconds of understanding.

There are answers to all the important questions, though... and they are out there, waiting for discovery and application. I think they will be more apt to fall under the header of philosophical than purely scientific. If this is a voyage of discovery, then it is those kinds of truths that we will need, especially of this universe is no more than part of the programming.

We all know that at some point our species became "aware". That is to say that we went from existing purely to perpetuate the species, same as all other animals, to a level in which we can reason, and began to envy what others had. What caused this great change in us? How did we one day just start thinking? In the grand scheme of nature, we are the only species that has evolved to the point where we no longer just live to survive. If we were to become extinct, the world would continue, and nothing would be out of balance. We know that there are other species, that if they vanished, the ecosystem would go out of balance. So in that context, are we purely a program, as suggested, that is nothing more than a trial run to see what happens when it is left to run itself? Are we on the cusp of figuring out exactly what is going on? Maybe there are no aliens, there is only ourselves and we have buried in our sub conscience what is the real truth and the real reality of who and what we are? Maybe the truth is so scary that we have evolved to purposely forget it?

reply to post by redoubt

Where does it begin and end? Is this physical universe real or is it part of the same program scenario? Who or what is behind it?

That is exactly what I was trying to say. There is essentially no end to the illusion, no start or end. All realities are "synthetic" at the core. In simple terms what I'm trying to say is "nothing is real", but it's hard to grasp the true meaning of that phrase. I guess this really comes down to defining what "real" actually is. Consider that Quantum Mechanics tells us at the most fundamental levels reality is completely abstract and based on exotic concepts which incorporate things like super-position and probability wave functions for physical matter. Also, empty space is actually thriving with "virtual particles". It is believed that they literally borrow energy from nothing or from the future in order to exist momentarily but then disappear again. And this isn't pseudo-science, this is fact - as long as they give the energy back quick enough these virtual particles can thrive in empty space. What if the natural state of reality is 'nothing' and the appearance of 'something' is like a momentary blip in the system, similar to a virtual particle, it's not absolutely "real", it has to stretch the laws of raw reality to create illusions which actually appear to be real. That's why reality is "fuzzy" at the most fundamental levels.

reply to post by haarvik


Cheers haarvik -- my minor in philosophy that I attained back in the dark ages demonstrated very clearly to me that your question is one that will rage on for a few hundred more years...

But, I will share the words of a very sage, wise old woman: "Reality is nothing but a collective hunch." -- Lily Tomlin. (though actually written by Jane Wagner, who was Tomlin's life partner).

Few other quotes from these immensely insightful mega-minds that will help you on your quest for real reality:

"Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself."

"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."

"I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific."

"Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it."

It's a mind bender that is for sure. Many will say they know, but not one of us know for sure...so know that. Reality is here and there, yet here nor there. It's possibly a concept our feeble 3 dimensional minds cannot phathom. Like a caveman with an Ipad...WTH!

I have often contemplated in my head (since I felt I was the center of the universe) that "movement" is an illusion and that I actually do not go anywhere. The illusion is that I do travel and move around in the physical realm but since the center of my head is the point of reference for the entire universe if I close my eyes I swear I am not moving at all.....I know this does not make sense but I am posting because someone may share my sentiments and know what I am talking about.

Think of reality in levels. The first would be objective reality, it's the world as it really exists to the observer. The second, subjective reality is the level of your own personal reality and no two people exist on this level together. The third, conscensus reality is the reality we all "agree" to share on a local and global level.

Originally posted by haarvik
For as long as I can remember, I have had strange thoughts concerning reality, or more so, our interpretation of it. Are we really living in reality, or are we in a perpetual dream state? Or perhaps we are the dreams from the real us in another dimension? Maybe that's what dejavu is. Some things I can't understand such as an event that happened yesterday. Driving home from work, and listening to the radio. Some old song was playing, and yet the AC/DC song TNT was running through my mind. When the old song ended, you guessed it, TNT started playing on the radio. I've had this happen quite a lot. how does my mind know what is coming? If I try to concentrate on it, nothing works. It only seems to work when my mind is drifting.

I have also had dreams that were so realistic, that I have to sit for a few minutes to figure out if I am awake or not. On one such occasion, I dreamed of giant red and black spiders. After waking up, I went to google, and low and behold they exist! They are found in the Amazon. Now how on earth could I have dreamed about something that I did not know existed? This has also happened on more than one occasion. So this leaves me to ponder our current view of reality. Are the things we are witnessing actually our parallel universes coming into close proximity to each other? Does this explain so many weird occurrences lately?

Anyone else out there that experiences these things? I gotta believe there are more people like me.

"For as long as I can remember, I have had strange thoughts concerning reality, or more so, our interpretation of it. Are we really living in reality, or are we in a perpetual dream state? Or perhaps we are the dreams from the real us in another dimension? Maybe that's what dejavu is."

The 'material', dream world was constructed to house the Real you. (see creation accounts/stories)
The reason this was done, is probably beyond the capabilities of our logical, dream brain, chemicals and electricity to comprehend. However, deja vu is one of the ways that this 'other' world inpinges upon this state we 'find' ourselves in.
We experience this Reality as if we were the driver of a car (our body). Patently, you are not your car! But, the memory is so faint that, we identify ourselves as the car. At certain times, you leave your car. When you park it in the garage (sleep), when the car has disintegrated according to the laws of physics which govern this 'locale' (die), and at other times...
The spirit/soul (whatever you want to call it) requires, on this plane of created existence, a vehicle of some kind constructed from the elements of this plane, to interact directly with this plane.
When your 'dream' you is parked in the garage, or when your 'dream' you leaves the disintegrated 'car', the Real you can no longer, readily interact with this plane.
But, what the Real you, does have, is thought or consciousness and memory.
So, when the Real you decides to become clothed again in the elements of this plane, you must do it according to the rules of this plane. Be born into a growing body that matures, remembers, ponders...whether this reality is the real, reality...or not.
One of our tasks, if you like, is to realise this.
You, are not your body.

Akushla