Reality is that which is real, but how much of that is just in your mind? Is your vision of the world skewed by your beliefs? By your culture? How important is it to see the world from another perspective than your own? And who’s perspective is right?
Is Reality Created By Your Mindset?
Growing up, my reality was all within a cult. Sure there was the real physical world. But my view of it was anything but “normal.”
In the process of leaving that cult, I came to a shocking realization: “reality” to every person I met was created by themselves.
Each person has views of the world that confine them to certain limits.
Most of those limits are defined by culture. Some of them are defined by experience.
Cultural Reality
If you believe in a God, that most likely came from culture or tradition. No that is not bad, in fact probably a good thing.
See, just by that one statement, I got half the readers of this to feel tension. “Of course there is a God.”
I will not argue much over culturural “reality.” Suffice it to say that much of what we believe is not from our own experiences. That in no way means to do away with it.
Jordan Peterson said: “Tradition holds accumulated wisdom, the distilled knowledge of our ancestors, which shouldn’t be carelessly discarded. Instead, it should be critically examined and preserved, as it often contains insights vital for individual and societal well-being.”
Over time, if we don’t understand the reasons for our traditions, they can become corrupted. Then we want to cast them off. That puts us back at square one, and by hard experience we come to understand the meaning of our forefathers traditions.
Reality From Personal Experience
“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” – Buddha
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” – Socrates
Your greatest understanding in business, religion, culture, sports or any other category is experience.
It seems to me our experience is the ultimate reality. The crazy part?! Our thoughts led us to the experiences that created our reality.
Your Thoughts Made Your Reality
“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
The way culture taught you to think, the beliefs you were given, guided you through each experience in your life.
If you have never reconsidered those beliefs and traditions, you will never have the opportunity to alter your reality in the way that you otherwise could, for better or worse.
“Think outside the box” until you realize outside the last box put you in an even bigger box. But my point is, a bigger universe is always closer to freedom than staying in a smaller box.
How Important Is It To Stay Within Reality?
“Reality can be rather harsh, and it takes an exceptional individual to face it with courage and honesty. But those who do will attain the greatest power of all —self mastery.” – Robert Greene, “The 50th Law” (co-authored with 50 Cent)
Look at any king. They rose to power. They got too comfortable. In full control, they assumed the future was theirs to make.
Nothing is more important than staying within the reality of your own experiences. But we have to be careful, remembering our experiences, limited to our lifetime, are skewed by our beliefs and traditions.
That is why we should take feedback and also learn from the experiences of others.
Reality VS Vision
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung
Great leaders first know themselves. Then they have a vision.
Religion is the most dangerous “vision.”
If you have a vision in business, when you begin to stray from reality, it snaps back fast. The money, the plan, the vision doesn’t work.
But religion often seems to work. The spiritual. If you are a religious leader, nothing could be more important than keeping your grip on reality. Even with spiritual experiences.
Change Your Reality!
Look through the lens of different cultures and religions.
Consider that persons view that you strongly disagree with.
Reconsider your prejudices. Ask yourself why you have them.
Understand the danger and joy in the spiritual world.
In short, open your mind to a greater view. One less selfish. One that does not make judgment based on pride, often so easily overlooked.
Math matters. Language changes across cultures. Numbers don’t. Do the math.
Thank you for reading! You would enjoy this article titled My Childhood Age 5-8: Texas, Baptism, and Dad Goes to Jail
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