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Stained Reality


“Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass, / Stains the white radiance of eternity...”  Like the other Romantic poets, P B Shelley was unhappy with the inevitable stains of life. One of the many stains or imperfections is our inability to perceive reality clearly. Reality comes into our consciousness through a lot of filters that have become a part of our very being.  Our past experiences, our prejudices, beliefs, convictions, desires, culture, religion, political affiliation... a whole range of things acts as the filters.

For example, take ourselves, human beings.  “What a piece of work is a man,” exclaimed Hamlet in spite of himself.  Shakespeare’s Prince of Denmark saw human being as a paradoxical creature that is noble in reason, infinite in faculties, admirable in form, angelic in action and godlike in apprehension.  Yet the Prince ended up hating many human beings and killing quite a few.  Hamlet’s whole perception and understanding of reality was tainted thoroughly by one awareness: about his mother’s marital infidelity and his uncle’s role in it.  The awareness turned Hamlet’s world upside down.  The mental filters were transmuted and the sensitive poet became an impulsive killer.


Reality is not something fixed once and for all.  Reality is what you and I perceive and comprehend. Science tells me that my modest body (modest in physical size) is the equivalent of 30 very large hydrogen bombs.  Yeah, an ordinary human body contains no less than 7x1018 joules of potential energy which is what 30 big hydrogen bombs release on explosion. So am I just a bundle of atoms?

It depends on which filter you are looking through.  For the nuclear scientist I am a huge reservoir of protons, electrons and neutrons.  For my religious friends, I am a soul in dire need of redemption.  Are souls made up of protons and electrons?  The scientist may laugh at the question.  Souls are too ethereal to be caught in the scientific filter.

Reality is what the filters of your mind catch.  The cow may be potential steak or kinetic gaumata depending on your mental filters.  Jallikettu is a cultural fest or brutality to oxen depending on your mental filters. 

So what is reality?  Reality is what you see and understand.  Blessed are those who can see from many angles and comprehend different perspectives; a whole world of entertainment, if not Shelley’s white radiance of eternity, is theirs.


PS. Written for Indispire Edition 153: #RealityMyPerspective
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Comments

  1. Jyotirmoy SarkarJanuary 20, 2017 at 10:21 AM

    Very logical analysis Sir, that's what expected from you, examples are fantastic specially the Hydrogen Bomb concept.

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    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 20, 2017 at 10:35 AM

      Glad you liked it. Thanks for suggesting the theme :) It's not often we get such philosophical themes at Indispire.

      Delete
  2. sunaina sharmaJanuary 20, 2017 at 7:28 PM

    Perceptions remain subjective, and truths are just 'versions' of those perceptions.....Reality for me can be an illusion to you and vice versa....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anita SabatJanuary 21, 2017 at 12:50 AM

    Yes indeed. Our reality is more than all the atoms in our body :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 21, 2017 at 6:32 AM

      The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, as they say in Gestalt psychology.

      Delete
  4. Utpal KhotJanuary 21, 2017 at 11:30 AM

    You always have a logic there which makes one relate to what you write. Nice post. :)

    UK
    http://fashionablefoodz.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 21, 2017 at 11:33 AM

      Glad you could relate to it. I try my best to be the rational creature (human being) which I am meant to be. :)

      Delete
  5. GeethicaJanuary 21, 2017 at 2:24 PM

    Our human body has so much of potential energy but we use only 1/10th of it. Most of the time we are not aware of our brain's power.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 21, 2017 at 2:31 PM

      Brain power is a different matter altogether. The potential energy I mentioned belongs to the body itself, the atoms, which can be converted using Einstein's famous formula E = mc2 and, of course, a lot of technology. The tech is too costly. Otherwise many people would already have been converted into energy sources by now just as Hitler used the Jews for making soaps and fertilisers.

      Delete
  6. जितेन्द्र माथुरJanuary 23, 2017 at 11:19 AM

    You said it Sir. Reality is only what is seen and understood. Besides, definitely blessed are those who can view it from different angles and thereby pick-up varying perspectives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 23, 2017 at 12:10 PM

      Wrong perceptions and lack of understanding convert reality into illusion, maya.

      Delete
  7. Durga Prasad DashJanuary 24, 2017 at 8:29 PM

    As human beings we have our limitations and our perception of reality is definitely blurred and colored. And of course it is good to have different perspectives. Great article, Sir

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 25, 2017 at 6:19 AM

      The most perfect being would be the one who can see everything and understand.

      Delete

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