How do you question reality?

How do you question reality?

Here I am going to experiment a bit and try the Byron Katie query method called "the Work" to answer the question of "what is reality" - so Is reality true? Can I be absolutely sure that it's true?

The fun part of this second question is that not many things are absolutely 100% full-proof true.

There is a simpler way in dreams though, by just watching your hands – by extending the two hands together in front of your eyes – you will then see during dream-time, that they are deformed.

You might have 4 fingers in one hand, and 6 fingers on the other, and then you become lucid.


But so far, I haven't find a similar simple trick to wake up during 'daily life' – I just know I'm not dreaming because another particular quality of 'daily life' is a possible feeling of boredom, this feeling can't happen in dream-state. In the dream things are shifting, things or events are fluids ; in physical awaken time – you can get this feeling of being stuck and being bored.

Does this mean "Reality is boring" ?

And that isn't true either, for truly awaken people – reality can be as exciting as the dreams, and that's when things are starting to manifests and both reality and dreams are starting to mix.
What is the risk of mixing the real and the illusion?

I guess there is a step forward into the interaction of the reality given as a sandbox and the potential of acting in this sandbox in a more interesting way, than being a mere consumer or a victim of reality. The step forward is to realize that we are creator, and by exercising this power we can bend realities (just like in the dream-state).
And then the question pop-up again .. what is reality?

It can't be only perceptual, because as human beings our sense spectrum is not optimized – it can't be in the mind only because for the brain reality, fiction, illusion are all the same .. informations driven experience...

What about emotions?

Reality will raise emotions, and so will books, movies, etc .. there's a whole industry taking advantages of this "feature". The emotional center is responsive to informations, everything that will provide informations is creating an emotional response. Music in particular can generate a huge emotional influx, just the vibrations of notes, can make somebody become very sad and cry or nourish an internal anger, or laugh – music has this capacity over words that are in many cases powerless when it comes to variety of languages or the audience capacity of understanding.

Music is universal, it doesn't have to go through the door of understanding – it goes directly into the emotional center.

What is reality?

What is reality?

Isn't funny that as advanced as we think we are, as a civilization, we still aren't able to answer that simple question?
But, to be fair the twist is that it's really not a simple question, let's dive into it ...
If we want to define reality, we have to sort of find the opposite of reality (of what is).
Defining by contrast is usually an efficient method.
What is the opposite of "a reality"?
Fiction, fictitious stories or Universes aren't real – right?
An illusion is also usually defined as the opposite of reality too.
Although many are saying that reality is an illusion.
Who or what decide what is real or not?
who's the beholder, who's the reference point ... consciousness?!
What if this is just the "continuity" – I was about to say the brain, but research have proven that the brain can't really perceive the difference between what is real, imagined or dreamed … the reaction will be the same.
Continuity on the other hand, is the one that will prevail in the assurance that we are dealing with a reality, because reality is persistent. That's one of the many quality of reality.
Like Philip K. Dick astutely wrote : "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away" -
Why it doesn't go away?
Is it because reality is co-created, or is it because of a bigger "creator" that can provide that reality even when everybody has turned away from it?
What is an illusion (a non-reality)?
An illusionist will project an alternate vision to the viewer that will then see something that isn't real but a crafted version of the illusionist's reality. An illusion is real to the viewer until the viewer realize it was an illusion, that is .. when at a particular moment, the viewer see the truth and wake up from the illusion. He then see something else, he sees his own version of reality.
This can happen in dreams, when the dreamer is so into the story that he can participate in a situation that would be in his awaken life completely unrealistic (doesn't follow the usual reality rules – might they be morals, physic, common sense …)
the illusion won't stand if it is questioned though .. that's why people are getting lucid in their dreams, if questioning is part of your daily routine – chances are you will wake up during the dream or become lucid.