“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.
Very logical analysis Sir, that's what expected from you, examples are fantastic specially the Hydrogen Bomb concept.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Thanks for suggesting the theme :) It's not often we get such philosophical themes at Indispire.
DeletePerceptions remain subjective, and truths are just 'versions' of those perceptions.....Reality for me can be an illusion to you and vice versa....
ReplyDeleteAmen to that.
DeleteYes indeed. Our reality is more than all the atoms in our body :)
ReplyDeleteThe whole is greater than the sum of the parts, as they say in Gestalt psychology.
DeleteYou always have a logic there which makes one relate to what you write. Nice post. :)
ReplyDeleteUK
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Glad you could relate to it. I try my best to be the rational creature (human being) which I am meant to be. :)
DeleteOur 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.
ReplyDeleteBrain 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.
DeleteYou 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.
ReplyDeleteWrong perceptions and lack of understanding convert reality into illusion, maya.
DeleteAs 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
ReplyDeleteThe most perfect being would be the one who can see everything and understand.
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