Reality

The meaning of reality has often been misinterpreted in one way or another. This arises from the simple fact that people have different definitions of this concept. Reality, in its larger sense, includes everything that “is,” whether or not it is perceivable. I believe that there are three forms of reality. One is the world that can be perceived by human senses, the second is what can be perceived by human reason, and the other is what cannot be perceived by human understanding.

Let me give you a story as an illustration. Two giants were walking along a beautiful garden. One was color blind while the other had perfect vision. They first looked at the sunflower. The normal-sighted giant said it looked beautiful because it was yellow while the color blind giant disagreed and said it did not seem special because it was just white. Next they looked at the roses. The first giant said it was lusciously red and attractive but the blind one said it was black and ugly. The first one argued that he was right because he can see things clearly but the other said, “I may be blind but I can be right.” In the middle of their discussion, they saw something that made them curious. At the far-most end of the garden, there was a door. Other giants warned them not to enter because it was dangerous but both giants decided to open the door. As they opened the door, they saw a mirror and were surprised to see their own image for the first time. They were not giants after all! They were just ordinary men.

Materialists are those that think everything they see or hear are real. They claim that the only thing that exists is matter. This explains our world which makes us feel “real” and substantial. Although material things are necessary, I do not think that it defines the meaning of life. I am unsure of the certainty of reality based on my senses. I share the same belief with Descartes and Socrates who wrote “We can never trust what our senses tell us because things beyond what we see, hear, feel, taste, smell or touch may also be real”.

Concepts that are only achieved by the human mind are also considered real. Idealism refers to any philosophy that argues that reality is somehow dependent upon the mind. What is arbitrary to us is considered “real”. Therefore, every concept we have, we assume to be “real” are perhaps real. The “law of gravity” is a clear illustration of a concept that our mind accepts because of clear evidence such as a dropped ball that falls on the ground or a ripe fruit that falls from the tree.

Certainly, things exist independent of our consciousness that we may not be aware of. For example, the concept of parallel universes could be real. There is a high chance that our universe can coexist with other universes. It could be more than what we know and there may be hidden worlds beyond human senses that I wish to seek even if I know I would not be able to actually look for a clear answer of the existence of things. As much as we want and we try, we can never be ultimately all-knowing because we can never be certain and we will never be.

Upon studying philosophy, we should ask “Does our world consist of real things – or are we encircled by the mind?” Thus, I came to the conclusion that we are not sure of reality. There may be things that are real and maybe not. Regardless of such questions, we try to create our own real world. We try to secure ourselves that we are real, that there are things that are true and certain. However, we must consider instead how and what we choose to believe in can affect how we live for. As C.S. Lewis said, “different beliefs about the universe lead to different behavior.” What we believe must be either true or false. Before even making a stand, we owe to ourselves to keep seeking the truth about life, death and the universe.