Why Reality Is Not Real and What to Do About It
Appreciate the beauty and complexity of the world
Do you feel disillusioned by reality? Has your life been a continuous stream of disappointments?
But what if reality isn’t real?
What if only YOU, a blip in consciousness, are real?
This is a less preposterous idea than you think. According to physicists, the reality you see, touch, and experience is only a persistent illusion.
Essentially, everything tangible is just a swirl of particles in a void.
What’s more, atoms, the building blocks of reality, are not solid.
They are less substantial than billiard balls that make up the periodic table elements, a tabular array of chemical elements organized by atomic number, starting with the element with the lowest atomic number.
Why Reality Is Not Real
Democritus, the laughing Greek philosopher, who insisted on an unwavering optimism in the face of doubt and uncertainty, proposed that atoms are uniform and indestructible.
Centuries later, John Dalton, the 19th-century founder of modern chemistry, seconded this opinion, describing atoms as solid, hard, and incompressible.
Today, scientists have dismissed this model. Atoms, they’ve concluded, are only clouds of probability, energetic bubbles weaving the time-space continuum.
In other words, atoms may seem solid but are only dream-like forms.
What’s more, our understanding and reaction to the world around us are influenced by the interconnectedness of our universe.
Things get weirder still. According to quantum entanglement, when two particles, such as photons or electrons, become entangled, an invisible force connects them. When particles are far from each other, they join and separate like ballet dancers. This elusive connection is called an emergent property, and scientists study it to understand better how our world works.
Extrapolating on the role of consciousness in this dance of subatomic particles, it’s entirely possible that what we do, no matter how small or insignificant it may appear, can affect the entire universe.
If consciousness is a player in this drama of time and space, an invisible agency in this dream of dust and destiny, we must approach each situation with greater wisdom and compassion.
The actions we take profoundly affect us and others.
Taking this approach to life can lead to a more unified and harmonious civilization where everyone is more aware of their environmental impact.
The Mystery of Reality
The discovery of the quantum world and the theory of relativity have provided a new perspective on our world, making us question the true nature of reality.
Despite this insight, we remain grounded in life’s tangible nature. After all, your head will hurt if you walk into a wall even though a typical atom has a diameter of about one angstrom (1 angstrom = 0.000 000 000 1 meter).
From ancient spiritualists to modern physicists, searching for understanding and unraveling its secrets leads to enlightenment and bewilderment.
Despite this scientific leap in understanding, we struggle to conceptualize the world’s true nature.
Only by contemplating such ideas can we unlock the secrets of how to live a good life. Our tangible world is an illusory representation of an incomprehensible universe.
On one hand, if you drill down, it’s infinitely small. On the other, if you expand, it’s infinitely large.
Understanding Reality Through Quantum Physics
A quantum physicist studies microscopic particles and their behavior, which is often mysterious and counterintuitive.
We may be able to understand reality through quantum physics better, as it hints at a world beyond what we can see with our naked eyes.
By exploring this field of study, we may gain a greater understanding of how different elements come together to form our collective physical experience.
This understanding helps us appreciate life’s complexity and interconnectedness.
Wave-Particle Duality and Its Implications for Reality
Quantum physics says every particle exhibits wave and particle properties depending on its situation.
In other words, particles behave like particles and waves simultaneously, changing their behavior depending on what’s happening around them.
This concept has far-reaching implications for understanding reality, as it suggests a holistic universe where everything is fundamentally connected.
With this notion, we can gain greater insight into our existence and experience more joy in life despite life’s inherent uncertainties by opening our minds to new ways of thinking and living.
The Interconnectedness of All Things
Quantum physics explores the concept of interconnectedness, which suggests that everything in the universe, from particles to galaxies, is fundamentally connected.
Every action we take, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, affects the whole. We may not be able to perceive these effects immediately, but they do exist.
Our appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the world can be enhanced by understanding and embracing the concept of interconnectedness.
What to Do About It
So far, I hope I’ve convinced you that reality is not what you think.
The concept of reality is incredibly complex and ever-shifting and cannot be fully defined.
Throughout history, countless theories, perspectives, and interpretations have been proposed to better understand it — from philosophy to physics.
Reality can be seen as a physical construct created by atoms, particles, and energy interacting. Yet we can also consider it a mental construct based on our perceptions and thoughts.
At the risk of oversimplifying everything, the reality of the universe is a combination of material energy and mental forces.
We will never be able to fully understand the world’s reality, no matter how we define it.
Recognizing Our Biased Perception of Reality
People’s perception of reality is often determined by their environment, beliefs, and experiences.
What’s more, new information, technology, and perspectives constantly alter our understanding of reality in the modern world.
It has become more challenging for us to make sense of what is real and what is not, but it ultimately comes down to how we view the world.
Our perception of reality influences everything in our lives, from how we make decisions to how we interact with others and handle life’s challenges.
To cultivate a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world, we must explore different perspectives on reality.
Can We Trust Our Perception?
It is easy to become overly reliant on our understanding of a situation or circumstance, resulting in misunderstandings and miscommunications.
We need to be aware of our biases and consider alternative perspectives to create an accurate representation of the truth.
Rather than relying solely on what we believe is factual, we should look at situations with an open mind to uncover new insights.
A proper understanding of our consensus reality requires balancing trust in our perception with careful consideration of other viewpoints.
Achieve a Greater Understanding Together
Although reality may not be what we think — more of a dream in time, a makeshift stage, than an actual occurrence — we still need to learn how to work together to adapt and better understand our ever-shifting consensus reality.
If we want it to be better, we must be smarter, kinder, and more compassionate. Unfortunately, at the rate we’re going, driven by negative unconscious assumptions and destructive herd impulses, things are falling apart faster than we can put them together.
We need to recognize our biases, be open-minded, and look for alternative perspectives to gain a proper understanding of the world and create a collective experience that is beneficial for all.
By recognizing that our perceptions may not be accurate and learning from each other’s different viewpoints, we can work together toward a greater understanding of how to live better in this temporary reality.
There is no point in dreaming about the future of the human race if we can’t even be present enough to notice our self-destructive contribution to our discontented civilization.
We must move away from our base animalistic impulses if our species is to survive. We need to move past Sigmund Freud’s description of humans as homo homini lupus, “man is wolf to man.”
