Life is just a dream…
Or so they tell me.
Personally, I feel that life is not a dream, but it is shaped by perceptions.
What forms perceptions? Where do they come from? Why is my perception of the universe different from one person’s, yet remarkably similar to that of another?
Perceptions are like lenses. Some are there to protect, and some are there to clarify. When an event is observed, a series of lenses will re-shape that event in the mind. If, for example, I’ve survived a certain type of crime, then I will perceive that crime on another person through the lens of my experience, and it will appear a larger event to me than it would to someone who may not have been through what I have. This leads me to observe that the lenses of perception are born of experience. But how is it that two people will experience the same thing and come away with a different perceptions? This is because each experience is seen through pre-existing lenses. Prior experiences shape our view of the universe.
Because everyone has a unique set of circumstances, it’s nearly impossible to predict when a new lens of perception will be formed. Sometimes the lenses will be unchanged by an event, because there are sufficient perceptions built up for the mind to handle it, even though that experience has not happened before, and yet sometimes a seemingly trivial event will generate a whole new perception. These lenses are unique and personal. I can’t see the world through the eyes of another, and moreover, the language they use to relay their world is also translated through my own lenses. These lenses fit around all of the senses, filtering the world, altering it, brightening or darkening it.
There are, of course, some things that may be viewed as common lenses: faith and love are the ones that spring to mind most readily. The person I love will look more beautiful and wonderful to me than they will to another. If I were to follow a faith, any logic that goes against it will seem strange and alien to me. Many people have these lenses. I feel it is possible to consider these lenses as part of the self. That would explain people perceiving an opposing view as a personal attack, which is something that happens way too often.
It is also possible that a combination of lenses for me, and a completely different combination for someone else, will lead us both to see an event in the same way. Different experiences, different journeys on the path, leading to the same point is surprisingly common, I feel.
Now, to get back to dreams, there has been a lot written about changing the dream, or about sending a message to the universe to make something happen. There’s even the idea of writing a promissory note to oneself stating that the goal will happen. These things work for those who are willing to work towards their goals. If I promise that I will be published in the next few years, then I will have to finish writing a book that I feel deserves publishing. Saying that I will, but not doing the work is not going to get me to my goal. I feel that the people who write these promises, or send messages into the universe, are using these concepts not as a way to absolve them of the responsibility of doing the work, but more as a way to change their perception of the future. From a certain point of view, these methods help to remove a lens that may be holding a person back, or adding one that they needed to move forward.
Is it possible to take better control of the lenses of perception? Can they be seen as a route to self improvement and growth? That has to do with knowing where the perception came from. I was taught as a child that my writing was a fun pastime, but never something that I could earn a living with. This gave birth to the perception that I can only work on my book in my free time. This clouds my view, and leads me to do things that I perceive as more important as opposed to just writing. If I remove that perception, then I suddenly have more time to write, because writing then becomes more important in my perceived life.
This leads me to consider the concept of happiness; is it possible to shift perceptions to be responsibly happy? I’m not talking about rose coloured sunglasses, but just a more positive perspective on the challenges ahead. With the right lenses in place, any challenge can be realistically possible. And if all of life’s challenges, perceived or otherwise, are possible, then happiness is also possible.
But is there a way to remove all of the lenses, and observe the world as it truly is?
Of course, the question that immediately follows is; why would you want to?
Because the truth of life can only be seen with the naked eye. It may be a scary truth, and it definitely involves letting go of a lot of the views that have formed through the years. But then, is not the lack of perception a form of perception in itself?
Ultimately, life just is, but how it is experienced it is down to perceptions, and if those can be controlled, anything is possible.
Pardon me for rambling… It’s just how my thought processes work 
December 27th, 2009 at 8:13 am
I really agreed with you all , especially that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
January 2nd, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Title…
Very insightful post. I am going to link to it in my new blog….
February 13th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
I am bare impressed with the article I have just read. I wish the author of emancipatedmind.net can continue to provide so much useful information and unforgettable experience to emancipatedmind.net readers. There is not much to say except the following universal truth: The Universe grew sense organs, with which to examine Itself. I will be back.