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In the spirit of @threadapalooza, join me for a little thought-adventure on the nature of reality and perception of truth...
"Is truth a lie?", a thread:
"Is truth a lie?", a thread:
I can't get this quote out of my head:
"We see people and things not as they are, but as *we* are.
That is why when two people look at something or someone, you get two different reactions."
Read it again!
"We see people and things not as they are, but as *we* are.
That is why when two people look at something or someone, you get two different reactions."
Read it again!
It's from Anthony de Mello's book, Awareness.
He's saying that we cannot perceive anything without the influence of our own thoughts, emotions and our past.
Our personality does not just tint our glasses. It's the glass itself.
He's saying that we cannot perceive anything without the influence of our own thoughts, emotions and our past.
Our personality does not just tint our glasses. It's the glass itself.
You and I may have seen the same event happen before our eyes, but we saw different things.
Our vastly different personalities and histories influenced our vision as we perceived it, and modified our memory as we stored it.
Our vastly different personalities and histories influenced our vision as we perceived it, and modified our memory as we stored it.
This idea was reinforced even further recently as I read the book Science of Storytelling, which discusses how our brains pick and choose what parts of reality to actually tell us about.
Our brains are the narrators, and they are very selective about their editing process.
Our brains are the narrators, and they are very selective about their editing process.
We don't perceive reality directly â we only perceive parts of it.
It's like we live our whole lives watching a low-res video resolution, with a crappy network that keeps cutting out the video.
We never see the full picture.
It's like we live our whole lives watching a low-res video resolution, with a crappy network that keeps cutting out the video.
We never see the full picture.
"Youâve seen a strange, stooping man with a top hat and a cane loitering by a gate, but you soon realise itâs just a tree stump and a bramble.
You say to your companion, âI thought I saw a weird guy over there..."
You say to your companion, âI thought I saw a weird guy over there..."
"You *did* see that weird guy over there.
Your brain thought he was there so it put him there.
Then when you approached and new, more accurate, information was detected, it rapidly redrew the scene, and your hallucination was updated."
Your brain thought he was there so it put him there.
Then when you approached and new, more accurate, information was detected, it rapidly redrew the scene, and your hallucination was updated."
Which parts do we see?
That is entirely dictated by our personality, our emotions, and our past.
Consider the implications of that for a moment.
They're pretty unsettling!
That is entirely dictated by our personality, our emotions, and our past.
Consider the implications of that for a moment.
They're pretty unsettling!
Most of us have an idea of what 'truth' is â some kind of record book of things that actually happened.
We base so much of our lives off of the existence and verifiability of it.
But the truth does not exist. Not in the way most of us think about it, anyway.
We base so much of our lives off of the existence and verifiability of it.
But the truth does not exist. Not in the way most of us think about it, anyway.
Even when we record events (e.g. by writing them down), you and I can both read the same text and think completely different things.
There is always room for deviation, and inevitably the truth always deviates.
There is always room for deviation, and inevitably the truth always deviates.
Elon Musk tweeted, "Who controls the memes, controls the Universe."
He's not wrong.
Influencing our mentalities, our mindsets and our moods is in fact an incredibly effective way of dictating what 'truth' is.
Why change the world when you can just change perception?
He's not wrong.
Influencing our mentalities, our mindsets and our moods is in fact an incredibly effective way of dictating what 'truth' is.
Why change the world when you can just change perception?
As I mentioned earlier, the brain is selective about reality.
Our subconscious mind filters events before our conscious mind can even process them.
With this in mind, consider our current 'crisis of truth'. Is it surprising we're in this mess?
Our subconscious mind filters events before our conscious mind can even process them.
With this in mind, consider our current 'crisis of truth'. Is it surprising we're in this mess?
Facts themselves are now up for debate thanks to labels like 'fake news', which are being thrown at information that was (until recently) clearly verifiable.
People are not *choosing* to believe or not believe the truth. Their subconscious never gave them a choice.
People are not *choosing* to believe or not believe the truth. Their subconscious never gave them a choice.
When authoritarians influence people's mindsets and personalities, they influence the 'filtration' process of their subconscious.
They influence the selection criteria for truth.
They influence reality itself.
Is there any greater power on Earth?
They influence the selection criteria for truth.
They influence reality itself.
Is there any greater power on Earth?
Aside from the devastating consequences of mass manipulation, another interesting thread is pulling at me here.
What happens in the future when I can access your thoughts, through some form of mind-meld?
The mind-melder is faced with a puzzling task of reconciliation.
What happens in the future when I can access your thoughts, through some form of mind-meld?
The mind-melder is faced with a puzzling task of reconciliation.
This is a scenario of 'many truths', and it emphasizes to me that we do not even have the verbiage for such a thing.
We are so convinced of a singular truth, a binary measure of true or not true, that it's hard to even fathom something in between.
We are so convinced of a singular truth, a binary measure of true or not true, that it's hard to even fathom something in between.
It is here that the principles of quantum multi-state may help us.
What if truth was not just true or false, but rather in all states at once?
What if truth was not just true or false, but rather in all states at once?
It's fascinating to ponder the mind-melder.
We often talk of the existence of multiple universes, and the power one would have if you could travel between them.
But aren't our minds each a universe on their own?
Who needs the multi-verse, when you have multi-minds?
We often talk of the existence of multiple universes, and the power one would have if you could travel between them.
But aren't our minds each a universe on their own?
Who needs the multi-verse, when you have multi-minds?
