Anybody else have trouble with reality?

Post Reply New Topic

People have been talking about reality in different senses, but haven't been clear about those differences.

One meaning is to denote the opposite of fantasy: "the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them."

Another sense is how close to reality something is: "The effects in that film were so real" this means they are not real, but very realistic.

Then there is the idea of multiple realities experienced by different people--this is about emotional states and subjective perception and not attached to the first sense of reality except in so far as the experience seems real to the perceiver. These subjective "realities" are not reality in the first sense at all.

This opens up another reality about using the word "reality" -- not only are different meanings intended, but the way the word is used has multiple contextual variations. While the first sense tries to address some existential quality, this issue is purely semantic.

If you are confused about existential reality, forget about the semantics and subjective uses. There is an objective reality and there are helpful ways of testing things to establish their reality. Consensus is a good place to start: if you see a giant pink bunny in the corner and no one else does, then it probably isn't real.

I think it's very unlikely you'd go insane by thinking about the concept of reality, though I expect it's common to feel kind of wobbly when thinking about it. I certainly do.

Crazy is a word that defines the user's range of comprehension.

Mental derangement would be relative to what is popular or most common.

Sanity defines our collective limits of understanding.

Do not worry.

It is only a matter of perspective.

The word is a measuring stick for our minds.

I did some till my 20s. I do still tend to daydream alot but I don't daydream about anything specific; it's like my mind just shuts off for a while.

Sorry but this is actually narcissism. Small children will ask things such as, "If I stay asleep and not wake up will the sun still come up?". So aparently we all have this to some degree. Perhaps some people with Autism are not developing beyond this point in some ways.

If you stay asleep and never wake up, how can you prove to yourself that the sun will come up in reality?
Your dream world would become your reality from your own point of view, and the sun will rise there.
Autism (Self-ism) is nearly synonymous with narcissism in some cases of Autism based on variation of symptoms.
Hell, I could have almost every personality disorder in the book to extremes.
I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just look like one. Personally, I think that everybody looks like jerks, and maybe they aren't.

Dr. Phil has said "There is no reality, only perception". I'm not really sure what that means.

Reality can not be known without your perception.
You can't feel reality without perception.

Objective reality is neutral, like empty space on a blank sheet of paper.
Subjective reality (perception) is various colors and shades, each person having their own colors and shades.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.
One man's paradise is another man's hell.

Hi...recently attended a Buddhist teaching (middle way school) where this subject was covered in very great detail. I will look at my notes and try to make another post later, but for now, in my own words: Breaking things down into their individual components can in certain circumstances lead to what is called a nihilistic view, which is one of what is considered to be the two extremes (the other extreme being eternalism), either of which extreme is an unbalanced state and 'contrary' to the middle way view.

What happens in the case of nihilism, the first extreme, is that in the process of breaking down a contextually named object into its individual components and so seeing that the object does not really exists as it conventionally appears but is just conceptualized to be such, and so is, in this sense, an illusion, is that if one goes even further with it, in the next step of this unraveling one begins to perceive that the process of analyzing is in itself also an illusion, and so, in short, is left with no ground to stand on, conceptually speaking, and can fall into the pit of nihilism. if this is what is starting to happen in your case, and sure sounds like it, the antidote is to begin to think in a different way where you can find some grounding. Of course if you think/feel that your thinking process in itself is not valid because it is just an illusion, then there is no reason to even think. So we can see that there is a flaw in this line of thinking if carried to an extreme, and we can understand how such a line of thinking if carried past the point where there may be some functional value can generate confusion and even despair. Existential angst is no joke to the one who is viscerally grappling with it. More to follow....

Yeah, I am fighting a similar battle. I have found that there is no reality. However many people are on the earth is how many realities there are. But it doesn't have to make you insane. It can be empowering, because we too can bend reality.
You are reality, just as valid as anyone else.

I am much of the time in a detached state--not really negative, many times even positive, feeling good. I bump into the same situation of having to make the concerted effort of how to define other people. I don't consider it a bad thing just so long as the result of this definition brings about a degree of joy in seeing other people anew...each time. And if these other people are not so good to be around, recognize again that a formal pause to look about was greatly needed and timed so that you might walk away, preventing yourself from being in danger.

Someone earlier said it's heightened imagination. I agree with this understanding.

But if you have concerns on sanity, no fear. You are already preventing some trouble in that you are remaining aware of how it is you experience surroundings

Yeah, I've heard that before, "you're not crazy if you know you're crazy". I used to think that too. But now I can see that the way I think about things and people has changed, an not in a good way. It's like I've lost something.

With regards to how I perceive things casually, I am not detached from reality as of dissociating and believing that what I'm seeing perhaps isn't real. But way beyond I think would maybe because of my bizzare imaginations I feel as though detached from reality living in my own thoughts. Having these internal thoughts often times would probably make me look like a lost kid in the crowd and would even make me desire to live in my own imaginations.

Thinking about how we perceive and think makes me extremely puzzled because our minds are really quite such a complex labyrinth. With my recent special interests which are spirit science and quantum physics I learned that we can access to a higher consciousness which might in some way for a person with psychological disorder is experiencing and also part of it was that, "Reality is subjective". Learning about such made me realize that among all those horrible things happening around me, I exist. And even though I have the power within me, still, as a Christian I believe that God is real. I do exist, maybe not in someone else's perception or thoughts but with God.

Rummaging with answers to my
questions along my life's journey, I find everything around me a paradox. There'd be more times in my life that I wanna disappear and wish not to live with such painful reality of social injustice i.e people judging me for my weirdness, or a cat being killed, being taken advantage of, the world getting dumped, the pollution, the discovery,the unfolding of the mysteries, etc.etc. Which often times makes me cynical. But on the brighter side, when I look up into God, I realize that my great imaginations aren't just simply absurd coping mechanism but rather a tool to see and show other people that on a perception different from there own is a beautiful mystery, a hope, and a fervent soul who's eager to connect and share the love within.

Does anyone else get this feeling, like when you repeat a word until it doesn't mean anything, that what you think about reality is really fragile? Like you shouldn't think too much about it?

I create my own reality. That which I cannot see does not exist.

Reality is frightening because it is like a live broadcast, and you can only observe thin slices of the actual block. There is always something going on in the background, without us knowing what it is.