The world is not what it appears to be. Your relationships are not what they appear to be. You are not what you appear to be. Everything appears to us as it does because of how we believe it to be and not because of how it is. If these statements make you uncomfortable, then they are challenging your web of beliefs. If you are comfortable with these thoughts, then either you consider them ridiculous and don’t deserve serious consideration, or you have already accepted them into your belief system and are in agreement.
All belief is based upon assumptions. You assume something is correct, because its “truth” is supported by something else that you believe is correct. That, in turn, is supported by other strong evidence, which is confirmed by another belief, and so on and so on. This network of beliefs, or web of beliefs, eventually coalesce around a set of beliefs that we consider unshakable and absolutely true. These core beliefs form the foundation upon which our perception of the world is built.
Anyone who has ever had any experience with LSD or other mind altering drugs will tell you that their concepts of the world, their relationships and themselves are called into question while under the influence. It appears as if a cloud has been lifted off of the mind and suddenly you can see clearly. When the drug wears off, the cloud descends again and the “real” world disappears. Our mental institutions have some patients who never revert back to normalcy and are considered a danger to themselves and others. But what if they see the world correctly and it is the rest of us who are insane?
Just as we all have our web of beliefs, so too does our collective have its belief system organized around its core beliefs. These foundational beliefs vary somewhat according to differences in location, culture and pervasive religion. It is this societal belief system which establishes the conditions for acceptable norms for its citizenry. Occasionally, religious doctrine forms the nucleus of their beliefs. To operate outside of those boundaries of normalcy invites the possibility of being ostracized, jailed or institutionalized. Whatever core belief perception is built upon by people or by society, it remains still an unprovable assumption!
Our means of collecting sensory data about our environment proceeds through our five senses. These are limited in scope, thereby also limiting our perception of what we sense. Through science, we have been able to enhance and extend the range of our senses to explore a fuller definition of reality. Our beliefs change as our view of reality changes. But what about those presumptions that do not rely upon sensory data? What about perceptions of God; morality; eternity? How can these beliefs be modified or revised? What evidence do we need in order to change our minds?
We all live in a fairytale world where we are the main character. While some believe their world to be more a product of a Brothers Grimm’s fairytale, others identify more with Beauty and the Beast. No one fairytale world is more “real” than any other. All are grounded upon the sands of ignorance and falsehoods. We do not know what we do not know. Enjoy your fairytale life if you can, but do not assume that you know what is really going on. Always be humble and tolerant in the knowledge that we really know nothing at all!
Scott
