Perception Is Reality

Perception is Reality
Perception Is Reality

David Suzuki, a well-known and highly esteemed professor from Canada once posited: "The future doesn't exist. The only thing that exists is now and our memory of what happened in the past. But because we invented the idea of a future, we're the only animal that realized we can affect the future by what we do today."

I am intrigued by this idea because it reminds me that time is indeed a concept that we as humans have created while also highlighting the fact that this creation has extensive possibility in its utilization. I often look forward into my imagined future to try and guesstimate where my current trajectory is taking me. Using the past and the experiences that come with it as an active tool of measure allow me to better judge where my life is heading. 

Delving somewhat into the science fiction for a moment, I have always been interested in on the ideas of multiple dimensions beyond our own three dimensions of which we do not have the faculties or tools to view or experience. 

There is speculation and theories that have been put forward stating that there could be 5th dimensional beings who experience the universe in a far different manner than we do as humans. Such beings would be able to travel through time (the 4th dimension) as discussed in my favorite space film, Interstellar.  In the film the character Amelia states: "they're creatures of at least five dimensions, to them the past might be a canyon they can climb into and the future a mountain they can climb up... but to us it's not, okay."

So okay, we can't climb up and down the time of our life spans to explore what the future holds ahead or revisit the actual moments contained within our past. But we can use the awareness we have earned, as human kind has evolved over time, to take to heart the lessons that we come across through our journeys in life. Do you reflect on your past often or consider where the road you've been on in the last 2, 5, 10 years is taking you? I imagine that many do not. Many are just floating or fighting to get through each day and perhaps do not have the luxury to consider where they are headed or where they have been. But we can't continue to allow our current or past situation be the determining factor in how we will progress through this life. Our perception and our perception alone is the controller of our present reality.

Some of the happiest people in the world have little to their name but a roof over their head and food on their plate. It isn't a fancy house, a lake side view with a boat, the most upgraded and decked out vehicle that brings about joy and contentment in life. It's the perspective that you carry as you wade through the obstacles and challenges in life. So often, I look back at instances of my life that I believed at the time to be of great challenge and remember them fondly as I recollect the pain that ultimately led to a victory. More often, I don’t even remember the pain!! Simply the victory of a moment in time when I hit a defining milestone such as going back to school after dropping out for 2 years, and finishing my Bachelor’s degree (despite so many internal doubts that I’d never finish the last bit of my schooling to graduate). As I face even more hardships and realities of being a parent in modern America, I remind myself of those past victories and try to bear the weight of fatherhood, being a husband, and an active member of my community with a smile as these moments too will pass and I shall look back wishing to be back in these places in life.

My perception is my reality and my reality is this: I have but a single life to live and each day, each breath is absolutely precious and full of power. I can use them wisely and appreciate each gasp of oxygen as I work through the day, or I can bicker and bitch, wasting the breath that I've been allotted in this life to complain away the days until my days are no more. Which life sounds as though it will be full of joy? Which life sounds as though it may carry more stress, weight and negativity? 

I've really been buying in as of late into the belief that the universe has something not just for me but for us all in this life. But are you prepared for it? Am I most fit physically, mentally, and spiritually to embrace the gift that the universe is ready to bestow on my life? That is my current pursuit so that when I am ready and in a place to accept that gift, it will materialize.

The question begs what might that gift look like? I guess I won't know until I'm fully ready to receive it. Buy my strongest inclinations tell me that until I care for myself and get my mind, body, and spirit in top shape, I won't be prepared for what the universe can send my way. How could I ever recognize my gift if I was too busy being bogged down or inundated by the stresses, anxieties, or depression that overtakes so many of the millennial generation. We are constantly allowing for the weight of the world to overcome us when we need to remember that self-care is just as important as our job duties, college night classes, or social media/TV time. It can of course be so tempting to 'Netflix and chill' each and every night away but what am I losing of myself by devoting time to zoning out instead of spending time working on making myself better?

When's the last time you took a mental break from all the noise of the outside world and just meditated on what it is that you want out of this singular life? Just taking some time to imagine what your greatest pursuits and goals could be, may bring you great relief as you really can start to envision the true possibility contained for any one person, in any single life. In the same breath, some might consider the possibilities and feel incredibly low or defeated before their imagination is even able to run wild. But I'll say again:

Your 👋Perception 👋Is 👋Your 👋Reality!

(I love these clapping hands and find their overuse in our age group hilarious and hope that we continue to use them in every tweet, Facebook post, Instagram tag, or blog post for next 50 years). 

My dreams and goals involve being debt free so that my wife and I can travel the world, catalog our experiences, and share them all with our daughter. I don't aim to be rich but I do want to save wisely so that we can retire comfortably, and provide for my daughter's schooling and future. For some these goals may sound unattainable but my perspective is that anything is possible with small, consistent efforts compounded over time. In order for us to save for my daughter's school we have to sacrifice so that we can set money aside in a 529 account. In the same way, in order to preserve our own sanity and save ourselves for our own future, we must set aside our stresses, our negativity, or grudges and remove them from our lives. The cool thing about removing these from our lives in the present, is that we are then creating space for positive energy and experiences to fill those empty spaces both in the present and in the future.

Carrying with us a positive perception and a faith that any obstacle can be conquered, I believe that we can shape our future with the actions we take today. If your current mountain seems un-summit able, then you have to start out by evaluating and assessing it. Try to really put it into perspective and understand just what it is that you are currently facing. Seek out time to map out your present situation and try to draw a line from where you stand now to where you aim to be down the road. Write out what all it will take to make it possible just as you'd compile a list of ingredients to build a successful recipe in the kitchen. Without a roadmap or recipe to help guide you through the process you will surely get lost. But if you contemplate on what it will take, are willing to sacrifice and pursue your goals relentlessly, then you can surely make it your destination! 


Want to keep reading more from likelyfiction? Check out my blog post on John Mayer's song "Wheel" where I discuss how we all have "Right To Fly".


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