Recently someone on social media wrote to me.

“Do you agree that ”Perception is reality?” My perception can't be trusted. I need a touchstone when I am off kilter. I surround myself with trustworthy individuals who help reorient me. What do you think of that?”

Well. Since he asked...

I think someone thinks certain individuals know more truth than he, and that they can put him right (per their version, of course).

I think someone thinks certain others are better oriented (whatever that is) and don’t have off-kilter thoughts.

Also, I think someone thinks I am a trustworthy individual.

Oh dear. Should I tell him, or just leave him to his little illusions?

Either way, his question already contains its answer.

Since no human can ever know anything outside whatever our physical hardware (eyes, ears, skin etc) and conditioning is capable of perceiving.

These are sieves which create a highly unique, very individualized sense of existence.

Which gives consciousness a one-of-a kind, infinitely varied experience.

No human is exempt from this.

Including gurus, teachers and sages. They have filters, biases and conditioning too.

They have points of view, inclinations and mind-sets.

Theirs.

Their opinions are the exact same biased, filter-based, fluffy nothings as ours.

Which is why there are no "trustworthy individuals" who are clearer or less off-kilter than anyone else.

So yes, perception is reality.

Though it’s strictly our perception, our reality.  

Not real reality.

It’s a very specifically individual, one-off reality.

Which some might find distressing.

Because no human will ever actually know what reality is.

Or even IF it is.

After all, is it truly reality if it varies from individual to individual?

I mean, anyone who has ever taken a life drawing class has seen that the view and resulting drawings completely vary depending on where in the room the artist's easel stands.

Same model, same pose. Yet as many different drawings as there are easels.

Which artist is right? Which easel position provides more truth than the other easels? Which artist sees reality?

Yeah.

No one has The Answer.

Reality is a concept, and an unprovable one at that.

Which might be good news.

Because it means our own perspectives are just as true and rich and full of wow! as any guru’s.

So maybe we can let up on trying to standardize this vast, infinite variety into some notion of "reality."

Maybe we can enjoy the placement of our own easel,

And enjoy both the enormity... and the smallness... of our individual viewpoints.

Because we are the only one,

Literally the only one,

Who can be our particular iteration

Of consciousness.

And that is one helluva work

Of art.


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