The Desert of the Real

“What is real? How do you define real? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”

Morpehus from the movie the Matrix.

What is truth?  How can we know that something is true?

Human beings are thinkers and dreamers.  We have large brains that can coordinate multiple tasks at the same time and process information at lightning speed.  However, our brains can also be easily manipulated and fooled by our organs of perception into believing something which may or may not be true.  In fact, the way our brains work means it is just as easy for someone to believe the truth as it is for them to believe something which is untrue.  If this is the case, then how can we ever know if something is actually true?  Is there a way to develop absolute certainty?

I would like you to indulge me with a little thought experiment.  I want to ask you to remember a time when you were very deeply asleep and having an extremely vivid dream.  The dream was so vivid and real that you were totally wrapped up in it. Soon however, the morning alarm rings and wakes you, and slowly you come to realize that it was only a dream.  Based on this thought experiment, I would like you to consider two questions.  First, which experience is more real or true, when you were sleeping and dreaming or when you were awake? And Why? And second, who is it who is experiencing these states.  Write down your answers.

 Now, looking at question one, most people would say that being awake is more real than being asleep and dreaming deeply.  However, what exactly does that mean, more real?  When I am dreaming, and the dream is deep and vivid, at that moment the dream is the most real thing in my life.  I have completely suspended any thoughts that there could be another reality, called being awake, and this moment is the only truth and reality that I recognize.  In addition, if the awake state is so much more real than the dream state, then why do we fight with our minds to stay focused on the tasks we have to accomplish while awake, and even with our best efforts we often go off on multiple reveries and daydreams, much to the chagrin of our supervisors and teachers? 

Looking at question two, many people would answer that me, or I, am experiencing these states of being asleep or awake.  However, who is me?  Who is I?  Are your referring to the awake me, or the asleep me, or the me in the dream?  And who is the I who is asking these questions, and observing the me who is awake and asleep?  Is it me?  Or I?  Both?  Or is it a third person who lurks under the surface and observes what is happening? Have you ever wondered if there is an answer to this mystery? Have you ever asked yourself why our minds work this way?

We will examine why our minds work this way later, however for now it is clear that our minds are incredibly complex, intelligent, and are designed for imaginative flights of fancy and creativity.  It is also clear that what we call ‘truth and reality” very much depends on what our minds believe to be true and real, meaning we have the power to create what we consider to be true, and as a result reality. This is a great power, but it is also a great weakness, because others can manipulate this power for their benefit, and at our expense.    Like a dream we were sure was real until we woke up, we accept the reality we are given without question.  And unless we “wake up” we will continue to believe it.

There is a scene from the movie the Matrix where the main character, Neo, goes to visit the Oracle to see his future and figure out if he is the promised One who will lead the humans to victory over their machine rulers.  While Neo is waiting for the Oracle to come and get him, he is watching a young boy bend a spoon, seemingly with his mind.  Neo asks him how he accomplishes this, and the boy says:

 Spoon boy:  Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

Reality, or truth, is often hidden, or veiled.  Many people believe that the word Apocalypse means the end of the world, but it actually means revelation, or the unveiling of hidden truth. This is the meaning of the spoon boy’s statement.  The spoon represents humanity, as it exists in society.  This mass of people called humanity is largely a fiction, created or “bent” to fit the shape imaged by those who create our reality.  In the movie the Matrix, reality or truth was created by the machines.  Humans are “bent” or “shaped” to believe it is real, but it is actually a computer generated dream. The Matrix is a metaphor for our reality, which is created by our culture and society. We do not question it because it is all that we know and have ever known.  However, once you realize the truth, that you are the spoon being bent and twisted to fit someone else’s idea of what the truth is, then you become free.  Then  anything becomes possible, and you realize that truth lies within yourself, in your ability to think, to reason, to feel, and to be creative.  You realize that there really is no spoon, only you having an experience.  And you get to decide what that experience looks like. It can look beautiful, and happy, and free, and lovely or it can be similar to a hell on earth.  The choice is ours.