Interesting question -- what is reality?

Hmmn, boiling Kip's answer down to a teaspoon, I'd say, all that we deny.

By "Though they have probably heard about Chomsky and framing...." does he mean Chomsky? Or does he mean Kahneman and Lackoff?

Maybe he's not as picky about elemental truths as he thinks. I know I'm not.

Kip Leitner stated: "The way forward is via a mythology based in a trans-religious ethic. It might go something like this: The fact that human beings are alive on this planet is extremely important. We are in the middle of a cosmic, evolutionary experiment whose end is unclear. As all races, cultures and nations of the planet lurch forward into an unknown future, continuity of existence requires that we reduce our ecological footprint in order to maintain the robustness of the global ecosystem that we all inhabit. This myth is large enough to encompass all religions (or none at all), all cultures, all peoples."

Wade Davis quote: "the world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other Cultures are not failed attempts at being you: they are unique manifestations of the human spirit"

Perhaps Americans think they hold the right to define the terms. Perhaps if the US dropped its sense of power and self-entitlement, and the belief they can save the world, perhaps the American reality would change to better fit the ideals discussed by the OP.

I could be mistaken. After all, vampires need humans to survive.

What is reality? On the surface, reality is an uncountable
mix of innumerable perspectives, undecipherable, inexplicable, unfathomable, and ever-changing.

At the deepest level, reality can be only that which never changes, a field of pure, unmanifest intelligence which gives rise to all physical manifestations of intelligence. Physics aims at discovering that ultimate, non-changing source of all change.

All living systems have as their basis that immutable level of intelligence.

The human nervous system has the unique capability to experience that unmanifest level of intelligence, which is the one thing common to all life everywhere. And that level of pure existence is a huge "thing", knowing which one comes to know everything else. It is the Self of everyone.

There is a simple technique anyone can use to regularly and reliably enjoy that experience of the Self, and so become familiar with the basis of all life.

It is the Transcendental Meditation technique, and it is practiced by millions of people in all walks of life throughout the world. It's effective, easily learned, easy to use, and, once learned, it is never forgotten, can never be taken from you, and the peace it creates accumulates in your life, and with that, a sweeter, higher reality dawns for you and those around you. It creates peace within the individual and harmony in the nations and the world.

See for yourself...peace and simplicity are inside you, and the truth, the sweet truth, will prevail.

www.tm.org
www.uspeacegovernment.org

Reality is a world being run by Bush and Company.

The only way to "win the lottery" every time is to never play at all.

What is reality? Wordy explanations betray some uncertainty on the part of Mr. Kip Leitner as well as some respondents to his essay that "mythology based in a trans-religious ethic" might really save the day.

My two problems are in what the DAY is, firstly; and why IS is not ARE, secondly, given the multitude of different realities Mr. Leitner is questioning about. I would approciate veru much if members of this very important discussion will stop thinking about TV images of IED blasting out images of so called Iraqis and GIs, while we try to answer most important question posited by author: "We are in the middle of a cosmic, evolutionary experiment whose end is unclear." Are we really? And what evolutionary experiment IS in view of possibility of living in this particular entity of multiverse? I may even emplore Mr. Kip Leitner to take few courses in hard sciences before spreading his Gospel of "continuity of existence" and
"evolutionary experiment". The latter is the best meme ever invented, at least in opinion of this commentator.

Vitaly Purto

MY reality is whatever I say it is. If my reality does not correspond in most important respects to that of the people around me I can be sure of finding myself in all kinds of trouble. Maybe I could read nothing, listen only to those who know I had better hear only what I want to hear, and ignore the fact that people notice when I lie.

But I don't have the money George has.

Vitaly: your very life is an evolutionary experiment. No one has ever lived your life. You are at the helm, and you make the choices, at every moment. About the end of the experiment, only you can say.

And, for certain, Mr. Leitner could be completely wrong about this experiment thing, as could I. In any event, it's just his opinion. But I think it a fairly interesting opinion.

Russ: perhaps you could venture so far as to offer a 'reasonable' explanation (since you stuck your neck out there) as to why, if TM can do so much good, learning the TM technique costs well over TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS per person. It is an ancient Vedic technique, offered for free for thousands of years. In these critical times, why is it beyond the reach of the ordinary person? While I know that Maharishi (founder of the TM Program) is a pure and devoted man (I have spent time around him) and while I know the TM technique does in fact work as you say it does, I also know that, at least on the surface, the modern "reality" is that even evolution seems to be for the wealthy, if the TM policies set the standard. That simply doesn't make sense. And 'a small price to pay for what you get in return' or 'it is to help assure that people will keep regular with the technique since we use money as a value measuring stick' just don't cut it as explanations. Most people can NOT afford it - period, and if we are at such an important turning point in history, shouldn't everyone be able to find the truth within for a price or contribution they can afford?

Explanation please...

As many people as there are now on the planet is probably as good an indicator as any how many will soon be absent, from any cause you might choose to name ---

the old experiment, where you allow mice to reproduce in a cage, tends to produce the same result over and over -- the mice increase in number greatly -- and then they all die --

but what is the cause of that? their uncontrolled reproduction?
the lack of resources in the cage?

the facts are that we only presume to be smarter than those mice with relation to the issue of humanity's survival --

close examination suggests we're not -- for instance, what's the potential of the 'Kyoto protocol' to actually halt or slow global warming -- (presuming such a thing as global warming exists)??

if we wrote the history books now, we might say there was a collective game of "pretend" happening -- the people who were charged with coming up with solutions were somehow really concerned more with keeping their jobs, or hording wealth, or whatever...

if a billion people fall off the planet next Tuesday as the result of a nuclear accident, imagine how quickly we would move from seeing that accident as an unlikely scenario to an outcome that should have been predicted --

we're constantly making bets -- some of us are betting that there's a god -- and if we are making that particular wager, we probably also have a side bet going that 'he' likes us better than someone who seems utterly unlike us who also believes roughly the same thing...

the people down at BushCo have that "you can't win if you don't play" attitude, and it seems to sort of pay off -- after all, they have killed a bunch of people who disagree on the god thing --
and they figured out a way to gamble every dollar and every human life they can somehow lay down on the table -- regardless of whose life or whose money --

so...they may seem inherently evil, but the question remains if they are just 'behaving', the way the mice in the cage might behave if they had access to various resources -- or, if the sum total of those resources were an ability to jump up and try to bust through the top of the cage ...before dying --

the top of the cage for Bush, at the moment, might be Iran --

unfortunate, but if we turn on Fox, the mice are ALL jumping

"And its true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TEEVEE REALITY
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die"

U2-Sunday Bloody Sunday

Of course, if China invaded and occupied the USA, and offered us a nice compelling liberal myth of sustainable simplicity in high enough decibel level, we'd all just lie down and acquiesce, right? Christ almighty.

dubs
I like very much your post
thanks
ken

As one man once said, "there is no reality, only perception". The sad truth is that more of us Americans will have to suffer some small indignities to change this ship of state. While the rest of the world starves and suffers, we will become unhappy, it seems, when we are no longer able to afford the next pointless gadget that is supposed to make our lives fall into place. When enough of the "middle" doesn't get their next whatever, the tide will turn. So sad. It seems that if it isn't happening to us, we just don't give a crap. Hell, even when it IS happening to some of us, we still don't give a crap (New Orleans, where are you?!!)

We DO create our own experience in this life, to some degree. But we also need help from our fellow man from time to time. We whistle past the graveyard every day, hoping that this isn't the day we lose our job, or our health coverage, or our spouse, or our kids. Lately, we have had to worry about losing our country. We need all liberals united together at this time, because the right is going to get behind their guy for sure. We know the real enemy, and I don't think any of us need a reality check to put a name to a face. We just have to keep the pressure on for the next 18 months. I may not be able to stop all of the criminal, stupid, dangerous, and greedy moves these people make in our name, but together we can make their final months absolutely miserable for them. I can't wait to start!

The American religion should not be confused with Christianity.

I would venture to say, that reality and truth are quite similar. The difference being, reality is that which can be observed with ones own eyes; the truth however is often elusinve, even though it truly is eternal.

Yet the blind, how do they percieve reality? Ah, the blind re-learn to develop and trust their sixth sense, a favor most lose soon after birth. Some who write here have developed that attribute and the spirituality that grows with it.___ I have not done so.

Sustainable simplicity? You call that a compelling myth? How about justice and self-determination? People just want to be left alone, and when not left alone treated like equals. Until the United States stops meddling and starts treating the rest of the world as equals there will be no justice and there will be no peace.

Dear whateveryousay:

Certainly there are many people in the US who'd have some trouble meeting the course fee, some because they'd need lots of time, and others because they'd be unable to understand.

But there are plenty of people who have spent or borrowed at least $2500 for some purchase, and it happens every hour of every day. Eventually, that thing purchased will turn to dust.

I agree that $2500 is a lot of money, pure and simple. I have to make quite an effort to make that amount. In addition, I know that the TM technique is a powerful item of knowledge; there is no other knowledge on its level, no other technique which can do what it does. Maybe you are familiar with the effects of the TM technique, which are too numerous to state here. Once learned, it's never forgotten. Its benefits stay with you for all time. And the practice, which itself never wears out or becomes obsolete, can also never be taken from you. It's a permanent investment, one unlike any other, for it is an investment in one's own Self: you carry with you at all times the silence, the peace, the intelligence, the increase of life which practicing the TM technique brings.

People will place their own value on a thing, and some will decide it's too costly while others will have to have it no matter what. And evaluating something you cannot see can be very difficult. The decision to learn the TM technique is one which, at least right now, many people will not have the chance to make.

You're right. I did stick my neck out—but only in hopes that I might catch some imagination. And I'd be happy to stick my neck out for it anytime...

First of all, great article. This is the first time I've been on this site and this the first article I've read on it. I'm glad I've found it.

Reality is, in my opinion, how people perceive others. From if you see the Bush administration as a bully or a good willed superpower (ha), or if you think the fella sitting next to you on the bus as a decent person or someone who might do you harm.

As 'Fed Up' pointed out, TV dictates a lot of this to us.

Also, Andrewsac in what way have you lately had to worry about losing your country?

Knowing some of what's going on in the world and caring about the injustice and needless human misery - enough to do something about it, is a very good sign - a sign of awakening or evolution in progress. From that point there is no turning back. Onward through the fog!
This is a unique time in history, because many millions are reaching this point now and joining in the struggle. The tide will be turned.

-----------------------

MLK Jr knew what he was talking about when he said:

"The developed nations of the world cannot remain secure islands of prosperity in a seething sea of poverty. The storm is rising against the privileged minority of the earth, from which there is no shelter in isolation and armament. The storm will not abate until a just distribution of the fruits of the earth enables men everywhere to live in dignity and human decency."

=======================

Einstein on reality:

"A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." Albert Einstein

"Quantum mechanics is very impressive. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory yields a lot, but it hardly brings us any closer to the secret of the Old One. In any case I am convinced that He doesn't play dice."
Albert Einstein

It's encouraging to me to read Kip's thoughts and some of the others here as they echo some recent posts I've made here. IMHO: everything that concerns us as humans goes back to one question only - why? Any of it, all of it, including the centuries old question "what is reality?" would be answered if we knew why. Looking at our existence in a purely cold rational way the best that can be said is 'well, there might not be a purpose.'

The meme that tends to embrace religious conviction can not willingly entertain the thought that there may be no purpose. Our lives must have some meaning beyond this brief corporeal stage.

No matter how strongly my rational mind wants to shout out "You have no proof for your God-Talk!" I likewise have no proof that there may not be something beyond this desperate and dangerous life. I doubt that there is anything beyond, but I don't know now, do I? Agnosticism is the only position I can honestly hold for myself.

The question still remains though: Is there a purpose for us, and what is it, or what should it be? IMHO: simply and pragmatically, our purpose at this moment should be survival. All of us, not some of us. Continuing to frame our problems in term of East vs West, and who's God has bigger balls will not lead to survival.

If we hope to continue this quest and debate about puropose we must first continue to survive. First and foremost there is no hope of survival attempting to prolong the stratification of the age of oil.

A fascinating look at the origins of Judeo-Christianity:
http://tinyurl.com/26bswr

What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer.

Vince: Years ago I was invited to lecture for a MENSA chapter. As a well read woman who has ventured into arcane studies, I chose the topic, "How intellect blocks the spiritual process." It was a daring subject given the group. Have you not read Carlos Casteneda? One quote from his teacher, Don Juan, "You dwell upon yourself too much. Seek and see the marvels around you and you will get tired of such dwelling."
Rudolph Steiner said of science, "It is the consensus of mediocre minds." How often has the scientific community relied upon logic alone, and had to amend its theories a few decades later? WHY we are here, the answer is best approached by the mystics of various traditions. It is our conceit to think that as modern individuals our intellects have somehow surpassed the wisdom they garnered from more direct, intuitive processes of knowing. Jane Roberts elaborates on this at length in her powerful series of books. "Seth Speaks" is important, as is "The Nature of the Psyche."
Recently I found the time to at long last read "Twelve Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation" by a phD. researcher, Dr. Ian Stevenson. No academic would fault his meticulous methodology. He had heard about children who recalled details of former lifetimes, and went to places like India and Alaska to chronicle not only their testimony, but that of relatives from the prior homes they purported to dwell within.
I remember when my 5th grade teacher explained that the seeming solid desk sitting before me was really a universe of swirling atoms. I never looked at things the same after that. I stood before the cubist paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC with my sister who holds a Masters in art. She explained that the painters of the late l9th century began to BREAK the planes of matter... this before physics understood the premise. Often it is the wisdom of poets, artist and mystics that precedes that of the left brain logic-geared individual. Truly brilliant minds embrace BOTH hemispheres, and that is often where great strides, inventions, and breakthroughs are made. I happen to think such events occur with the help of higher guides, some would term that "synchronicity." In total, as the master Shakespeare intoned, "There are more things in heaven and earth, than dreampt of in your philosophy." But that need not be so... step out of your rituals and norms, let NATURE teach you, or visit a Buddhist monastery or spend time with a shaman in Peru. We who have been trained by Western academe presume all answers can be found there. Ha.

Dear Russ,

I'm a neck-sticker-outer too, good for you. Actually, I began practicing TM 35 years ago, went to MIU, siddha, etc, and still practice, of course. What you say, as I said before, about the benefits is true. I agree with the findings, both borne from vast amounts of scientific research as well as from personal experience. And there's the rub. It is so valuable and beneficial, it is sad that it isn't made more easily available. When I started, it cost fifty dollars. I understand and agree that teachers need to be paid, but the current fee is so high that if it cost the same relative amount decades ago, there would not be the millions of meditators that there are now. So I say, why not get millions more by making it more easily available.

Having said that, I know you didn't set the price and I presume M has a good reason, however obtuse in this case. And yes, I would say that it would be the best 2500 a person could spend in their life, no argument. It's just that it only costs that much in 'rich countries' not in places like India. We have poor people in America too. JGD

Wow, what a question! To ask, "What is reality?" , encompasses every answer to every question ever asked. In short, reality is what it is. All matter, time, space and energy. All actions or inactions, all thoughts and dreams, tangible and intangible, known and unknown.

The real question, since the beginning of time, is, what is my or what are our, roles in reality.

As infants, staring up with brand new eyes, not able to discern that anything else exists aside from our own coldness and hunger we probably believe that we, each as seperate individuals, are the center of the universe. Perhaps even the entire universe. Initially we cry and our hunger is addressed. We are given soft, warm blankets. We do not realize that the effort to provide is being supplied by another seperate from us. But the first time we cry and do not receive immediate attention our focus shifts. When Mothers or doctors leave an infant unattended it begins to notice that it is, in fact, alone in some environment rather than actually being the environment.

At this moment our instinct is to survive. To learn to manipulate our surroundings to find comfort, food, warmth, even the loving touch of another. We learn to communicate with others to acquire the essentials we cannot provide for ourselves.

It is this survival instinct that leads to acquired knowledge. In acquiring knowledge we become capable of providing for ourselves but we also learn of things far beyond the basic necessitites. We discover our mortality. Which leads to fear and more questions. We seek answers to questions we cannot attain. We discover that others are involved in the equation. We decide how we view others, and how they effect our lives and we, theirs. We invent answers to satisfy either our own curiosity or the curiosity of others.

The invention of the plow made possible, the act of acquiring necessities for many, by few. This allowed for other activities aside from basic survival. While some harvested food, many others were free to pursue other activities like tool making or shelter building. As societies became more efficient, more time was invested in what we now refer to as humanities, literature, science, arts, technology etc...

Fast forward to today. The human race's reality consists of how we spend our time, what we believe, what our values are, our methods of survival, how we interact within society, etc... Six billion different realities exist in our minds, yet only one reality exists in truth.

Many humans seem to think we are the supreme species, free to use the resources of nature at our liesure. We also seem to believe that our Planet has unlimited resources, with which, to sustain our way of life eternally.

Those who subscribe to this belief go about their merry way consuming endlessly, with no consideration of sustainablility. Until... Another human encroaches upon their "right" to resources. Early man thought it wise to lay down boundaries, lest the neighboring tribe hunt "his" game. This was perhaps viewed as civilized, rather than just kill the intruder as they no doubt would have a non human animal which was hunting on their turf.

Thus the beginning of the rule of law... Laws have been written and become increasingly convenient for the creators of laws since then. Back in the day, enforcement meant strength. Today that is even more true.

Reality is, in my humble opinion, the expansive and ever growing human population trying to survive on this one, limited, fixed amount of real estate, with limited resources. Reality is, the elites have excercised their strength to enforce laws they have written.

Reality is, just as the white man exterminated all the buffalo in one or two seasons, regardless of pleas from Americans to conserve, and allow the herd to replenish itself, so as to sustain the indian tribes forever, the same so called leaders will exhaust every other resource with the same disregard.

Reality is, laws should be written to support rather than end life.

Reality is, what should be, is not what is....

Souixrose: Reading your post I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You quoted Castaneda regarding self-absorption after relating association with MENSA. I can think of no collection of individuals more narcissistic than MENSA adherents. Yes I read Carlos' works at a very young age and was even able to stop the world, and I gained a lot of insight from that experience, but I also know the exact ritual that I inadvertently performed on myself to have that experience. There is no mystery there, and anyone sufficiently motivated could do the same thing. The Dali Lama aint got nothin' on me. I used to grit my teeth to the point I caused pain and so I taught myself some relaxation exercises I found in a self-hypnosis book. Had to take a lie detector test once to get hired to stock shelves full of Christmas junk at one of those big-box stores. Since it mattered very little to me if I got that minimum wage job or not, I decided to have a little fun. Decided to do my self-relaxation exercises. The "operator" was livid when there was absolutely no change in the various indicators they record and assert as infallible in discerning truthfulness or lying. He told me they would send my records to an office in New York to be forever on file there, as if this was some sort of threat. I told him I could give a good shit what he did with those records and that I had little regard for him or his machine.

Speaking of Carlos and his mentor, the most enlightening passage I recall was Don Juan telling his protégé that: "we must always proceed as if everything mattered, knowing full well that nothing may matter."

I love how mystics and spiritualists construct straw men arguments that are so completely hopeless. You continue to maintain that because science is in the continual process of refining what we know, that this proves its inferiority to intuitive knowledge. This is a fundamental flaw in your thinking, as what you see as a weakness is actually the greatest strength of science. It allows and invites constant investigation and revision, whereas much of religious and spiritual dogma will not allow any questioning of "ancient" knowledge. Scientific investigation is not in the business of proving or disproving religious beliefs. Adherents of religion get their dander up when some branch of science reveals a fact about this physical world that directly contradicts some ancient or sacred belief or teaching. It is mostly the religionists and the spiritualists that pick this fight.

You are quite free, and I defend your right, to inflict mystical and magical thinking every time you come to some hole in our understanding of this physical world. Your smug assertion that I, and others like me, are somehow impoverished in our lives, I find insulting and dogmatic.

I would not waste a minute of my time reading Jane Roberts or any nonsense about reincarnation. You assert that Dr. Stevenson's work is scientifically unassailable. (As an aside here, I also love how mystics rail against science and then try to use it to prove their pet beliefs.) I would bet real money that if there were anything at all in his treatise that could be put to a rigorous scientific investigation that the claimed unassailability would evaporate. I've seen it a hundred times.

If a shaman would see you coming towards his hut I believe he would say to himself "here comes another sucker." George Bush is a shaman: he manipulates our fears and our uncertainties, and laughs about all the suckers in the privacy of his rooms.

A woman journalist (sorry I don't recall her name) recently wrote a book entitled "The Year Of Magical Thinking" about how she coped with the death of her loved husband of many, many years. Didn't read the book, but saw her interviewed on TV. She made a remark that I had written quite some years ago, and in the exact same words: "it is almost impossible for an ordinary person to contemplate their own non-existence." The point of my post to which you commented, was this very same point. I believe all of the primitive mumbo-jumbo that you have no doubt collected and alphabetized arises from this universal human predicament.

My feelings on this life are much like Carl Sagan's or E.O.Wilson's. By allowing myself to be informed by scientific investigation I have gained a much better understanding of the insignificance and tentative nature of our existence here in this time. My head is not full of gears and levers, but is constantly blown away by every new piece of repeatable truth that "science" teases out.

But you missed the point of my post completely. In my life I have been a musician and an artisan, as well as a techno-wonk and an administrator. It has been a rich, multi-faceted, and fascinating life. For someone like yourself who is all too willing to welcome in every bit of discredited primitive ignorance to imply that I am mentally handicapped, I find both hilarious and depressing.

Vince: Perhaps we missed each other's points. I think science should (as left brain) complement intuition. I do not feel either one has a monopoly on truth. However, given the demonization of my field over the centuries, with religion and sometimes science throwing not only the barbs, but often setting the fires (this is NOT a metaphor), perhaps I am a bit defensive. I applaud whatever attempts you make and will make to expand your own consciousness. THAT is the reason I bring sometimes unpopular (because they have been so long marginalized, usually by critics who do not know or understand these fields of inquiry) themes into this forum. I never said that you were mentally handicapped (that's your own projection); and I am tired of people who have never studied MY field calling it ignorant. However, as you said, we are entitled to our perspectives as this is not a universe of clones. Not yet.

Vince, You don't believe in reincarnation? Why? Is it because you have no visual proof?

Tell me, have you ever seen a pytoplankton? Me neither, but I know for certain they exist. I also have had a truly wonderful mystical experience that totally changed my life. I know for certain we will live another life when we leave this one. I don't know that we may have lived others, but I suspect we have lived many. I also have no argument with what you wrote, for one thing I don't understand most of what you were talking about. I also am not in any way adverse to science. But I did understand you believe reincarnation is nonsense, therfore afterlife must be also.

I did not recieve my teaching on the issue from reading a book, it was a very personal experience, which I seldom relate,I have only shared it with my loved ones.

It must be rather sad for one to believe that when this life ends, that is the end, gone forever. I always had a hope that it was not so, that there was a God someplace and we would live again, but that was a religious induced hope. Now, I can assure you, there is a life after this one and you will someday see,___we all will see.