“Sometimes, you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.”
― Yvonne Woon, Dead Beautiful
Maybe each human being lives in a unique world,
a private world different from those inhabited and experienced by all other humans.
If reality differs from person to person,
can we speak of reality singular,
or shouldn't we really be talking about plural realities?
And if there are plural realities, are some more true (more real) than others?
What about the world of a schizophrenic?
Maybe it's as real as our world.
Maybe we cannot say that we are in touch with reality and he is not,
but should instead say, His reality is so different from ours that he can't explain his to us,
and we can't explain ours to him.
The problem, then, is that if subjective worlds are experienced too differently,
there occurs a breakdown in communication ...
and perhaps that is the true curse of being human, of being locked within our skulls.
We shared different facets of our thoughts this past month,
getting to know others better and giving others a month long chance to get to know us more fully.
Perhaps every person takes the limits of her/his own field of vision for the limits of the world.
Due to work and health issues, I was restricted in how many friends I could visit.
But I visited Paris, the American desert, the Canadian landscape, and renewed friendships with Disney and old movies.
How much was your world enlarged by this year's A TO Z CHALLENGE?
I do think reality is subject. Which means that it cannot be singular. Even for myself. Today's reality may be completely different from tomorrow's. A blessing AND a curse.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the way the blogosphere expands my horizons. Every month.
I enjoyed the challenge, but then I didn't produce anything, only visited. Your television nostalgia pieces really stirred up some good old memories in me.
ReplyDeleteI think Mark Twain said (you'd know this better than would I) that each person is as happy as he makes up his mind to be. Some days, in my own subjective world, I decide to be happy. Or at least pleasantly delusional.
I made a lot of new friends and learned a lot about the world around me.
ReplyDelete"If reality differs from person to person, can we speak of reality singular, or shouldn't we really be talking about plural realities?" Great thought. This makes me think about how people's lives seem isolated at times, like we're the only one ever to go through something, until someone whispers in your ear, I've been there.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the A-Z kind of. I always vow to never return and yet--I do.
Very nice reflection, Michelle.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this year more! Several blogs that I frequented always gave me something to think about, or ponder, or just enjoy reading. Yours brought back memories of times forgotten (as far as old tv shows, etc) Thanks for that, Roland! (and yeah I'll soon have another tab at the top of my blog. I consider the A to Z an opportunity to collect the themed posts)
ReplyDeleteD.G.:
ReplyDeleteAnother tab and more content for visitors to read is always a good thing! With your posts I got to do a viral tour of Paris -- without the plane fare! :-)
We learned, we say... we read. So many cool sites, I found myself hovering around places that I knew were caught with the challenge...
ReplyDeletewe saw, not say!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you brought up the schizophrenia issue as my brother has been institutionalized for over 30 years with this affliction. I've wondered about his world and his lack of ability to relate to mine. I don't know that I'll ever understand him even remotely, but I try my best to accept what I can about him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you participation in A to Z and the Reflections. Completely understand your circumstances. We each have issues with which we deal and some can do more with the Challenge activity than others. You do what you can and that's important. Thanks for doing it.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out