Is reality a physical state? Or is it a mental state? Is there any reality at all?
“What is reality?”
Reality is a defined as the state of things as they actually exist. There are different levels of reality in western philosophy, such as:
Truth : Truth is supposed to be an agreement of facts
Fact : Something that can be verifiable as per some existing standards
Reality is linked to perception, or how we view things.
“What is reality?”
Reality is a defined as the state of things as they actually exist. There are different levels of reality in western philosophy, such as:
Truth : Truth is supposed to be an agreement of facts
Fact : Something that can be verifiable as per some existing standards
Reality is linked to perception, or how we view things.
Suppose a person has 3 bowls of water at 3 different temperature levels, hot temperature, room temperature and cold water. If he puts his hands in the bowl which has hot water and then puts it in the bowl with water at room temperature, then he will feel the water at room temperature is cold. However if he puts his hands into the cold water, and then the bowl with water at room temperature he will feel that the water at room temperature is warm.
Till some years ago it was a fact that there were 9 planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Today, however astronomers have voted Pluto as a dwarf planet. So what was a fact a few years ago is no longer a fact today.
Before the Beijing Olympics, the reality was that Mark Spitz had won the maximum number of Gold medals in a single Olympics. That reality changed when Michael Phelps won at 8 gold medals.
Before the Beijing Olympics, the reality was that Mark Spitz had won the maximum number of Gold medals in a single Olympics. That reality changed when Michael Phelps won at 8 gold medals.
So we see that that both truth and fact are relative as is reality to a certain time frame.
So there is no permanence in reality. This is similar to the Hindu belief in Maya, which is derived from the words “Not” and “that”. As per this belief, the world is unreal because it is unstable, unreliable and impermanent. It is constantly changing and not permanent and hence an illusion.
Since reality is rooted only in the present and hope is an expression of positive outcome in the future, Hope can not be a denial of reality.
Therefore if we are stressed out today because of the economic crisis, we would should remember that this is impermanent, and hope and work for a better future.
So there is no permanence in reality. This is similar to the Hindu belief in Maya, which is derived from the words “Not” and “that”. As per this belief, the world is unreal because it is unstable, unreliable and impermanent. It is constantly changing and not permanent and hence an illusion.
Since reality is rooted only in the present and hope is an expression of positive outcome in the future, Hope can not be a denial of reality.
Therefore if we are stressed out today because of the economic crisis, we would should remember that this is impermanent, and hope and work for a better future.
23 comments:
I don't no much only this that do ur bit cause the only reality are ur deeds. This would decide ur future which is not limited to one birth. So why worry about something which is not permenant (maya) but definetly worry about something which is going to be with u forever, ur deeds.
Himani
Though the title is mind-twisting for me, I found the content simple to comprehennd. Re: the last line ".. if we are stressed out today because of the economic crisis, we would should remember that this is impermanent, and hope and work for a better future" .. I agree completely.
Nothing lasts for ever, neither good nor bad. It's a law of nature - as they say - what goes up, must come down. Like day has to come after a night, then a day again and the cycle goes on..
So, this phase of financial crisis will pass. The economy was at it's peak at one time, now at the bottom and one day it will be at the peak again.
And like you used the analogy of 3 bowls of water, most adjectives are used in relative sense. What I find beautiful, may appear ugly in someone's eyes. What is good or right in my book, may be unacceptable for someone else.
So, it all depends on how an individual look at things. Thinking positive, having a positive attitude is always helpful.
Not "astronomers" but only four percent of the International Astronomical Union, voted that Pluto is a dwarf planet. Most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a petition of an equal number of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Stern makes a good point in noting that scientific facts cannot be established by voting. What if a group of PhDs got together and voted that the sky is green? Would that make it any less blue? Of course not.
Using an objective criterion, for example, roundness, usually seen as the defining characteristic of planethood, our solar system has 13primary planets and counting: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. It also has numerous secondary planets--round moons that orbit other planets.
Roundness is an objective criterion because objects become round when they attain a state known as hydrostatic equilibrium. This happens when they are big enough such that their shape is governed by gravity rather than by chemical bonds. Pluto clearly meets this criterion, so in reality, its planet status has not in any way changed. The term dwarf planet would be fine as a descriptor for small planets except for one problem. The IAU has decreed that dwarf planets are not planets at all, which makes no sense. It's like saying a grizzly bear is not a bear. And it is inconsistent with the use of the term dwarf in astronomy, where dwarf stars are still stars, and dwarf galaxies are still galaxies. Any statement that reality has changed because of a nonsensical IAU vote is just plain wrong.
Following are my comments from LinkedIn:
Hope opens the door for a new reality. It is not a denial of reality. Thus, hope is an emotional or mental state that is necessary for human happiness and contentedness. Like hope, stress is part of human nature. We hold these two mental/emotional states in our bodies and naturally seek balance that will reduce our suffering and increase our happiness.
There may be no ultimate reality we can perceive, but humans always feel that we are in a reality in which there are hopes and stresses. This is our nature as primates. In my opinion, when we believe that we are anything other than a species of primates, we easily become obsessed, grandiose and cause empires, wars and other dysfunctional social outlets for our frustration and aggression.
Links:
http://www.divineprimates.com
Reality has to do with what we can control. And it always reminds me of this simple prayer...
GOD, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
Grant me the courage to change the things I can.
And show me the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen!
And the stress is gone! ;-)
Following are my comments from Linkedin:
“Hope is, indeed, many things. But, hope is not a strategy. I would say that it is better to have faith than hope, but I would also say these are not mutually exclusive concepts. In terms of reality, I would say that all of reality is a social construction. Much like time, it exists because we say it exists. Bishop Berkley said that if we can not perceive something with our senses, then it does not exist. I think most empirical thinkers would agree that all things are based in a physical reality. Even our thoughts and hopes emerge from biological processes inside our brain. I do not think that makes them any less wonderful or meaningful. At least I hope that to be true.”
REALITY is something that is already in front of you...
if you like it, carry on and you know what
the most probable outcome would be; BUT if you don’t,
do something about it. That’s where HOPE steps in.
Many times, HOPE is greater than REALITY...
coz with HOPE, we "continue to aspire" for greater things.
Stress is simply caused by lack of support... or poor relationships.
Hope you do well, Sunil.
Reality is what the individual determines it to be. It can be a physical state, a mental state or a state of being. If there was no reality then nothing would exist. Existence and therefor creation needs to exist in a reality. Without reality there would be no creation and without creation there would be no us to ponder the meaning of reality.
Hope is a deliberate, chosen state of mind, state of being and emotional state that one chooses when one's reality is not what one would prefer it to be. Delusional hope (not based in being real and in touch with one's capability to change one's reality) achieves nothing other than to encourage one to go on another day. Hope that is based in reality and being real about how one is going to change things can be the inspiration and gentle vision of a brighter future necessary to keep going and apply one's effort through to the completion of creating one's preferred reality. Alkira Angel Being Real Coach
Following are my comments from LinkedIn:
Sunil,
Reality is self-awareness or being conscious of yourself. Your emotional state is the "color" of reality. It is a physical state inasmuch as how much flesh and blood it take for self-awareness/consciousness.
Hope is anchor point in the future. It becomes reality as we move towards it. There is an ancient definition of hope as something that is bound to one's heart tightly with cords until it manifests. So, in this sense one would be tying themselves emotionally to a future point.
Hope is the denial of present reality only and testifies of the future.
As I stated in our earlier discussions Sunil, hope is not denial of reality, but is acceptance and a positive sense of new wish better or other than perceivable reality. The very reason I say, perceiable and non-static to reality, because humans are tend to have selective hearing and believes or tend to believe based upon selective hearing. Hope to me is not a emotion, rather a expectation or urge or sense of betterment of future. There is nothing called negative hopes. You either hope that things would change or you don't have hopes at all. Not having hopes is like surrendering to perceived reality and doesn't expect to come out of it by any means.
Fear, is not the negative hope. It is rather a emotional outrage of perceived reality and depends on mental states. Being part of emotional ability of human being every one would have fear, either limited or unlimited. Fear of something. Fear is a psychological phenomenon and can be corrected by various means and one can always over come it.
On 02/09/09 10:48 AM, Rajeswaran Muthu Venkatachalam wrote:
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Hi Sunil,
Another interesting question from you !
Let me first take up HOPE .
Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Hopefulness is somewhat different from optimism in that hope is an emotional state, whereas optimism is a conclusion reached through a deliberate thought pattern that leads to a positive attitude.Hope is distinct from positive thinking, which refers to a therapeutic or systematic process used in psychology for reversing pessimism.
Thus it is a FEELING . Therefore , in my opinion, as you have stated it is not a positive activity but a feeling.
Having said this , I would try to discuss the word REALITY only with reference to spiritual thinking. It is a mental status. What we see in this world are not REAL. It is an illusion. An illusion which is perceived as REAL ! What is real is only the omnipresent , the supreme power , the beginning from where this external world has emerged ! Thus it becomes clear that how the perceiver sees !
While HOPE is a positive feeling , it has to be converted into positive actions in order for us to fully understand the reality and achieve it !
Spiritual practices have been suggested to achieve this.
Therefore ... yes.. Hope could be a denial of reality for one who perceive it so until he actually understands the truth beyond.
Talking with reference to worldly adverse realities - the economic conditions and the like ...first one needs to understanding the reality correctly. Further, hope alone is not sufficient as things will not change on its own. The hope has to be supported by positive actions with optimistic approach and these actions will have to be constantly evaluated and subject to change beofre one achieves the result.
Raj...
There is an intrinsic nature to the world but human beings do not have a very solid relationship with it. We (The Human Race) have a relationship to our perception, opinions and generalizations.
To be in a state of hope tells me that the mind is focused on the possibility that what you want might not turn out. Hope, anger, resignation, optimism are all emotions that might result from a potentially negative future that the mind is inventing.
Inventing, that's just it. The mind invents futures that it perceives are favorable or not and then you get to enjoy some crazy emotion that has nothing to do with this moment.
What in the world is going on with the mind. :-)
In a non-binary world of many possibilities, one may hope FOR something to happen, representing a positive approach to life. It is a personal concept, subject to one's own interpretation as to what he or she defines as that for which one hopes. Hope unfulfilled does not diminish the potential that what one may hope for may still occur. That, of course, is still to be determined somewhere in the future. Thus, one may hope only if one looks forward, not backward. If we live in the past, viewing and re-viewing what happened to us, we are not in a condition for hope; in some sense, then, we are in a state of hopelessness. Many of us live in this state.
Not necessarily. An objective observer may perceive the world as it is and still hope for better things. Active planning on the basis of current reality can attempt to translate the hope into future reality. But if the hope is not rooted in reality, the individual is cast out on the whim of fate. Success or failure will be random.
I believe that the answer to your question can be summed up in the word perception. When events in our lives don't match our perceptions we have stress. There is a reality, but each of us view this reality through our perceptions and our perception adds some degree of distortion.
Kenneth
Absolutely not a denial of reality, Sunil. Hope is what drives men and women to summon the will to overcome what may seem to be hopeless circumstances; those which often disturb and unsettle our reality.
Can you imagine a world that looked at injustice, polio, cancer and other devastating human conditions and just threw up its hands and said, we cannot contend with this? Hope is the engine that drives negative reality over the cliff and pulls out of us our very best.
We may not always hope for something each of us agrees is good or will yield a better reality, but it is always a reaction to something real. We call it circumstances.
As to your more philosophical question of what is reality, that, of course, is subjective and always unique to those inhabiting the present at every place in creation. Reality can only be understood in the present; unfiltered, unrevised and in the now. Hope cannot change the past, but it can serve as the catalyst to orchestrating a better future reality. The notion of reality being unreal is disproved by the very true results that are so often born of hope.
I know these words will be analyzed, thought to death and countered. That is our nature. But the "reality" is that these words are real, because people all over the world, with no assurance that I even exist, are reading these very thoughts and reacting to them. The thoughts may not have substance or contain logic that satisfies the reader, but they are real.
The management literature speaks of the Pygmalion Effect, whose essence is that reality becomes what we expect it will be, because actions tend to be in alignment with expectations.
It is known, for example, that employees will perform better than others simply because they are expected to do so.
Clarification:
Webster's claims that "expect implies a high degree of certainty and usually involves the idea of preparing or envisioning, e.g. expects to be finished by Tuesday."
In comparison, Webster's states that "hope implies little certainty but suggests confidence or assurance in the possibility that what one desires or longs for will happen, e.g. hopes to find a job soon>."
As we all know, conventional wisdom has it that the only things certain in this life are death and taxes. For this reason expectations can be equated with hope, inasmuch as both terms pertain to a future event, which may or may not occur, no matter how hard we try.
What we do know in leadership theory is that people will be motivated to pursue goals based on a posited future reward (monetary, psychological, or otherwise). The whole concept of delayed gratification, i.e. saving in order to afford a bigger reward in future is based on this insight. Thus, the key point is that it is sufficient to grasp that "hope" is a real variable in human relations that can be manipulated in the context of motivational theory. We may not fully understand why it exists, but we know that it is there and is accessible to us as a means of influencing outcomes.
Reality is as real as you or I are, although it is rather relative. Hope is a catalyst to create new realities from the existing one. While the existing reality can be positive or negative, hope ensures you work towards a positive future reality! :)
HOPE is the wish that something will exist
FAITH is the belief that something will exist
REALITY is the existence of something.
That said, I believe reality is an actual. It is both physical and mental, and changes with an individual. My reality may not be yours, but that does not invalidate it.
I believe that if hope that an event will occur, or a state of being will exist, leads to faith that these events or states of being will exist, this in turn can lead to the reality of their existence.
I do not agree with the argument that hope should always be based in reality. Hope, and reality are not mutually exclusive. I can still hope I'll wake up one morning looking like Halle Berry, but my reality says it ain't happening.
The majority of humans have no idea how powerful the mind is, and how much control they have over their reality. People have the power to make their own reality. "Against all odds" is a phrase used when describing an event or state that happened, that was someone's reality, against the reality of the world.
No one has an explanation of why people who have been told after an accident that they will never walk, do walk; why people who have illnesses, cure themselves. People who achieve the impossible (Michael Phelphs), do this because their HOPE that these things will happen becomes FAITH that they will happen, and they set about making them a REALITY.
The human mind is a vastly underused powerful tool.
I do agree that Faith is not a DENIAL of reality, but know that at times it is a REJECTION of reality.
Reality is what is, at the moment. Having faith in an outcome which is different from reality, is a rejection of reality.
Good or bad?
I believe good, because faith is what translates into reality.
So, our reality is constantly changing as our faith manifests.
HOPE is the wish that something will exist
FAITH is the belief that something will exist
REALITY is the existence of something.
That said, I believe reality is an actual. It is both physical and mental, and changes with an individual. My reality may not be yours, but that does not invalidate it.
I believe that if hope that an event will occur, or a state of being will exist, leads to faith that these events or states of being will exist, this in turn can lead to the reality of their existence.
I do not agree with the argument that hope should always be based in reality. Hope, and reality are not mutually exclusive. I can still hope I'll wake up one morning looking like Halle Berry, but my reality says it ain't happening.
The majority of humans have no idea how powerful the mind is, and how much control they have over their reality. People have the power to make their own reality. "Against all odds" is a phrase used when describing an event or state that happened, that was someone's reality, against the reality of the world.
No one has an explanation of why people who have been told after an accident that they will never walk, do walk; why people who have illnesses, cure themselves. People who achieve the impossible (Michael Phelphs), do this because their HOPE that these things will happen becomes FAITH that they will happen, and they set about making them a REALITY.
The human mind is a vastly underused powerful tool.
I do agree that Faith is not a DENIAL of reality, but know that at times it is a REJECTION of reality.
Reality is what is, at the moment. Having faith in an outcome which is different from reality, is a rejection of reality.
Good or bad?
I believe good, because faith is what translates into reality.
So, our reality is constantly changing as our faith manifests.
Hope is not a denial of reality.
I am convinced hope is the driver for change. Change leads to new realities. Hope comes from deeply rooted ethical values.
Ambition leads to change also. Only ambition comes from something else then values. Ambition is the wish to realise predefined goals. Goals and values are not the same. It is the difference between pathos and ethos as described by Aristotle.
So, is hope a denial of reality? No, hope is the creator of reality!
Paul
Hope is not a denial of Reality. Hope is a result of being connected, being conscious if you like. Hope is that awareness, that people can feel, when they combine present reality with future potential.
To be in a state of hope tells me that the mind is focused on the possibility that what you want might not turn out. Hope, anger, resignation, optimism are all emotions that might result from a potentially negative future that the mind is inventing.
Inventing, that's just it. The mind invents futures that it perceives are favorable or not and then you get to enjoy some crazy emotion that has nothing to do with this moment.
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