What Is Reality?
Reality is how we perceive the world around us. It both is and isn’t that simple, of course.
No less an authority than Albert Einstein said, “Reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one.” What that means is that what we perceive as our reality is different for everyone.
To me, this thoroughly supports the notion that consciousness creates reality. Since the reality we perceive is completely individual, and a persistent illusion, isn’t it completely logical that we can create our own?
We can all agree that our perception of the world around us is what we name reality. We can see it, smell it, feel it, touch it, hear it, even taste it. Yet there is more to the world than just that which we can sense. Everything is energy, and energy is constantly flowing all around us. This is also, I would argue, real.
As children, we are less invested in accepting the reality we’re presented with. How many kids have imaginary friends that are almost completely real to them? The wonder that children view the world with, before we tell them the what of things, is impressive. The world a child considers to be real encompasses numerous illusions that, as they get older and “educated”, fade away.
I am in no way saying education is bad. Quite the contrary, the more we know, the more we gain. The issue is not education, it’s losing a sense of wonder with the world around us.
So many people feel “trapped”, or “stuck” or otherwise held back from things they want by the reality they perceive. They have lost sight of wonder and joy be becoming entrapped by a world they think is beyond their control.
Conscious reality creation transmutes the illusion.
I am always seeking new wonders in this world. I love hiking in nature and coming across a beautiful, tree-lined path or rocky river offering me never-before-seen vistas. It is from these experiences that I still believe in a wondrous world, full of endless possibility.
When we lose sight of that, and get caught up in the world as we currently perceive it, we are disempowered. Once that happens, it’s difficult at best to move past, and regain a sense of curiosity and possibility for what could be.
Pathwalking is my ideal for creating a life I most want to live. Rather than let the world as I currently perceive it be that which I live in, I want to consciously create a better reality. It is my desire to change how I perceive my world, and manifest one more to my liking.
If this which I already perceive is but an illusion, then changing it is a matter of practice. It’s up to me to change what I sense, and create something even better.
I know you might be thinking to yourself, what is it with this hooky-spooky mumbo-jumbo? Einstein meant something totally different with that statement. Sure, I’ll give you that is possible. But then, consider this:
Just over a hundred years ago, the first commercial airline came into being. Horse drawn vehicles still outnumbered cars. There were no satellites, cellular phones or fitness trackers. That reality was long ago changed, arguably far more drastically than any prior hundred year period. The illusion of our world shifted considerably into what we have today.
Anyone can change their world. Anyone. Some changes are going to be colossal, wide-ranging, and life-changing. Most, though, will be individual, but could be equally life-changing.
Whose illusion of reality is it?
Relationships change our reality. So do new places we live, jobs we work, and locations we visit. How we each perceive these things is wholly unique. The way I see the world differs from your way, or that of any other.
This is why we can choose our illusion. You and I possess the ability to consciously create our reality. When we empower ourselves, and recognize this for the truth, there’s a lot more that we can do than we currently believe there to be.
Unfortunately, one of the big challenges with this is our fear-based society. Everywhere we turn we see lack, are told there is not enough, and that we need to be afraid of *insert racial group or religious entity or other nonconformists here*. To add to this, whenever someone violates or otherwise does something that is not the “social norm”, we tend to scoff at it. Rather than support the new, frequently we warn of dangers and pitfalls.
Everyone makes poor life choices. This is part of the human experience. Frequently, we believe that our choices are more limited than they actually are. We get worn down by the lack and fear of our culture, and accept the illusion before us as truth.
The world has been changed before. It will be changed again. Change is inevitable. We have the power within us to direct change, rather than be a pawn of it. We do it all the time, but much of it we take for granted.
When you change your clothes, hair, job, or car, you alter the illusion of your reality. It is a small alteration, but everything is built up from the small stuff. If you find yourself dissatisfied with larger matters, you have the power to take control over it.
What do you want your reality to look like?
This is the three-hundred-sixth entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas for, and my personal experiences with, walking along the path of life. I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world along the way.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to re-blog and share.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
If you enjoy Pathwalking, you may also want to read my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.
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