Sometimes, I really don't know what to think.
That is to say, I don't know what to think about the world, and the people in it, and those people's opinions and how they form those opinions.
Disturbing...?
I would go so far as to say that I am even alarmed by the number of people out there — and please do keep in mind that this is just my perception, simply based on my own observations — who seemed almost obsessed with needing something absolutely impossible to be ”real” in order for their sense of existence and world to continue making sense.
To use a hopefully non-offensive analogy, it's like somebody insisting that it's raining even though it's sunny and there's not a cloud in the sky... but they continue to insist that it's raining because their entire sense of reality is dependent on their meteorological model holding true and that model is saying that under current conditions, it's raining.
The "Right" to Our Ideas...
Now, these days we tend to label such... deviations... as ”free thinking” and ”alternative” which I find to be sort of ironic because the people who cling to their particular perceptions are often outspoken critics of such things as our modern ”political correctness” and yet pretty much everything they're showing the world could very easily be placed under the greater heading of ”mental illness.”
Which brings me down inside that uncomfortable topic of human ”double standards” which seem to exist no matter which side of difficult argument or political leanings you find yourself on.
I get to hold this belief which I believe to be reasonable and factual, but you wanting to hold YOUR belief which you believe to be similarly reasonable and factual in fact makes you a hysterical nutball.
It's actually that divergence that actually makes less sense to me than the actual content of some of the crazy arguments I hear made, on a daily basis!
One of the strange side effects that seems associated with certain kinds of cognitive blindness is the way people will look high and low to uncover whatever ”evidence” — be that scientific or pulled out of thin air — to establish something that seems like credible proof that their point of view is actually a fact.
Around where I grew up, that was called "a rationalization," and not actual evidence.
I can't help but picture the classic fable of the seven blind men touching an elephant and being asked to describe what they are touching... and so, they come up with seven different perspectives of what the elephant is, all dependent on what part of the elephant they're touching.
Which, in turn, brings to mind a favorite quote from a long time ago, typically attributed to 19th century French author and philosopher Gustave Flaubert:
”There is no truth. There is only perception.”
Perhaps it's ultimately not that important whether a person believes that their headache is caused by a pollen allergy... or having been visited by aliens who put an implant in their brain... as long as nobody's being harmed by the process.
What is "real," anyway?
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!
How about YOU? What do you think "reality" is? How do people arrive at their opinions? Are things that make NO sense to anyone aside from the "beholder" necessarily a sign of insanity? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20220524 00:30 PDT
0581/1827
This I do not have a thoughtful opinion about, except to say, perhaps, that there is no one reality, there is only perception.
Are things that make NO sense to anyone aside from the "beholder" necessarily a sign of insanity?
It would appear (through the oodles of research that's been done on early childhood cognition and the role of trauma in the development of and damage to the human system) that most of our opinions are created based on what we observe from our primary caregivers and those in positions of authority when we are under the age of 7. Add to this the traumatic experiences we have (that we don't manage to process/integrate/resolve at the time) and we get a human mind that has opinions that may or may not match much of what is believed by those around them but that make total sense to what they were fed and experienced in their life.
Most people will never really review what they believe to be true. Most will not revise their opinions and will carry their beliefs and opinions around with them like a medal until the day they die. Unless, like you and I appear to do, they choose to actively review them and are willing to revise them if they can see that what they once thought does no longer make sense.
I have noticed that there is a HUGE number of people who have been incredibly triggered during the last 2 1/2 years in particular. I have seen very clever people fall down rabbit holes and come up into online and offline spaces sprouting things I consider nonsense. It has helped me immensely to realise that those who have experienced significant trauma as a child have a mind that really and truly does see the world with a very specific lens that looks like a fairytale (or nightmare) landscape to me.
But what do I know really? I cannot be objective, for I, like them, am human. Still, my study of human beliefs, biology and behaviours continue because it's just so darn fascinating. Of course, the more I learn, the more I realise, the less I know ;)
Indeed, that's often what is at the heart of the matter: People are unable or unwilling to step outside their own paradigm to entertain the possibility that someone else's paradigm is no more or less "real" than their own. Perhaps one of the tenets of so-called "consciousness' is precisely the ability to put yourself into someone else's shoes — even for just a moment — without necessarily feeling the need to abandon your own set of perceptions.
This post was in large part inspired by
Every time I consider that, I remind myself that the vast majority of the world is massively uncomfortable with the emotional/psychological state of "not knowing." And so, with that in mind, I guess a lot of people go in search of concrete explanations and answers to riddles that perhaps have no answers (or maybe no answers YET) and are willing — even if subconsciously — to latch onto theories that offer some variation of "an answer" that permits them to escape the abyss of not-knowing.
We often have these conversations around here; Mrs. Denmarkguy (aka @cosmictriage) is a certified Trauma Recovery Specialist so we sometimes dig in pretty deep... both of us having processed a veritable onion of our respective childhood traumas.
And the more we learn, the less we know!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
Ah, yes! I had someone else suggest the same thing only a few months ago. While the conversation was about the transits of the planets and their affect on us (Pluto in Gate 61 causing us to want to "know the unknowable") the realisation they shared was almost, word-for-word, the same thing you've shared here. And I believe you are spot on; people feel unsafe and so they cling to something... anything, in order to find a sense of certainty, and with it, a felt sense of safety.
Love this. Totally. Drives me nuts, but then I remember that my job is to meant the part of myself that feels frustrated or angry about it and be with her instead of expecting others to change.
I LOVE having conversations with knowledgeable people about trauma resolution. So few people understand the role that unhealed trauma has on our lives and how much it, literally, runs the show.
*Goes and looks up Mrs. Denmarkguy ;)
You had me at "Conscious CAT!"
😁😅😉
To most people, whatever it is they believe and, yes... perception is everything. :)
Good morning!
Hi Denise! Yes, perception is pretty much all we have. And our perceptions tend to center on our beliefs.
As author Arthur C. Clarke once observed: "We surmise, but we do not KNOW. That's why it's called BELIEF."
I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to the official narrative surrounding any major event. It's not that I think COVID, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, etc. didn't happen, but that the real events are spun to suit the interests of the political and corporate elites and encourage us to act in their interests rather than our own. "But every one thinks X" is still just the bandwagon fallacy on its own, in the absence of supporting evidence and reason.