Why Do We Protect Ourselves In The Myth Of Reality?
{Photo via Pinterest}
Reality is a myth.
We may all inhabit the same world, filled with the same trees, oceans, mountains and sky, but we all have different perspectives of reality; all seeing the world differently as a result of our circumstances, upbringing and experience.
The reality of a poor person in poverty will be at opposite ends of the spectrum to the reality of someone born privileged and rich. Some people see security and the ease of certainty in a nine-to-five job, whereas others see this as the confines of a life without freedom, trapped in the slavery of the economic machine.
Everyone’s reality is a story unique to their lives, seeing the world painted in different colors, shades, tones and textures. But sometimes those different worlds crash and collide into one another, or implode in on themselves.
Some of us become so accustomed to our reality, so comfortable in our perception of the world, we begin to believe that ours is the one true reality, and that anyone else who does not share it simply hasn’t learned to see yet.
We fail to acknowledge other people’s realities and instead transform into giants, stumbling and crashing through the worlds of others. Carelessly we kick over beliefs, step on values, and cause earthquakes that shake the foundation of others, as we try and force them to see everything in the same shades of grey.
We then condemn them if they see blue where we see green, if they hear music where we hear noise, and if their story doesn’t begin and end the same as ours.
There are those who perceive differences out of greed and their thirst for power lays siege to the realities of others, storming the walls of their convictions, battering down what they choose to love, burning their villages of hope with fires of doubt, and poisoning their water supply with fear and hate.
There are times when we give up our realities without force.
We allow others to talk us into putting away the vibrant pictures of our dreams that seemed so clearly painted as our world, and we accept the dull pictures of conformity that others sell us for the overpriced sum of our souls.
Or we search and strive so desperately for love and social acceptance that we shun our reality like an embarrassing friend, and pretend that we see the world the same as others.
Thinking that we can keep up the disguise of being part of a world we can’t truly see, we wear fake smiles and nod our heads in agreement, or we try and force our senses to perceive and feel a reality we are not truly comfortable with.
But deep down we can feel when someone else’s reality is wrong for us.
Our skin starts to itch and feel tight like it is no longer our own. We feel the phantom symptoms of nausea as the sway and turn of this other world makes us feel uneasy and sick in the pit of our stomach. We feel our voice become trapped in our throat, wanting to speak but knowing that the words we desire to say are forbidden in this other person’s reality, and so the words stick and build up inside us, until all we want to do is scream.
The weather also feels different in the trappings of someone else’s reality. Sometimes we feel too hot, wanting to strip off the uniform they make us wear and run naked, as fast as we can, back to our way of seeing things.
Or sometimes we feel too cold and want to wrap ourselves back in the warm folds of the wonderful reality we made for ourselves, but left behind.
Sometimes circumstances make us afraid of seeing things through the eyes of others.
We allow our doubt and fear to become brick walls with which we build a self-imposed prison, where we hide from the true colors of the world. Believing ourselves to be unworthy and undeserving, we drive away those who might try and help us escape, flinging fireballs of guilt, shame and rejection over our fortified wall.
This type of reality can becomes a dark place where storm clouds form in our skies and rain pours down poison that fill our rivers with depression and rage.
So although reality is a myth and that myth is real for all of us, we should always try and pocket our judgement, let go of any insecurities that someone else’s reality might bring to our world, and stop trying to force, or convince others, to change their reality into a copy of our own.
We should be open to the reality of people by taking the time to simply glimpse how they view the world.
Imagine if you could see the sky through the eyes of a pilot, knowing you have the ability to fly, or understand the winds and the crash of the waves, able to read the seas like a sailor. Maybe even hear the world with the ears of a musician, tone and rhythm the wonderful tools with which you create.
We all have something to share a beauty in the way in which we see the world; it’s just a matter of offering to exchange how we each see things.
And if you’re lucky enough to meet people who perceive the world the way you do, their reality greatly matching the colors with which your world is also painted, then I say cherish and enjoy the precious moments shared with those individuals.
Let your worlds merge together and see what happens when your two fantasies become one myth, within the same reality.
*****
Emanuel Adelekun is a writer and a filmmaker, as well as a hip-hop-culture-loving warrior-b-boy. Always honest, he talks too much, always has an opinion, and tends to push people, but that’s okay with him because he has accepted that he’s a wild, fiery spirit who believes in true self-expression. He follows the path of always striving to develop, improve and better understand the frequency on which his soul vibes, making this his way of life. In the end, he believes in keeping it simple: stay open, live to explore, experience, and enjoy the moment. Cherish your mistakes, always be a student, don’t take shit from anyone, and treat others how you would like them to treat you. Through his words, Emanuel hopes to make connections with other similar souls, and maybe open people to something more inside themselves. You could contact Emanuel via his website, Instagram or Facebook.
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