Shared but unique reality

This is a statement made by Dumbledore in Harry Potter book 7 to Harry. This statement has always intrigued me. In this scene, Harry has a mystical experience where he talks to Dumbledore who was already dead in book 6. Harry asks Dumbledore at the end of the scene if this experience he just had is real or just his imagination. It is then that Dumbledore answers thus. “Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry, but why should that mean it’s not real?”

Lets derive couple of statements from the quote.

• Stuff happening in our head (thoughts, emotion and ideas) are just as real as the physical world outside.
• And yet not all the thoughts and feelings that is within us reflects the outside reality fully, those could be conclusions that we have cooked up ourselves.

So what constitutes reality and how we arrive at it.

Every experience we have is happening inside our head and whether we assign it the status of reality or dreams or imagination depends upon the strength of the experience. If all our senses agree including our intellect on an experience and if other people also accept it then the experience is labelled as real by our brain. It is like a committee taking vote on a proposal. More yeas gives the experience more solidity. Thus is reality born.

This also means that each one of us though living side by side in this world do carry their own reality with them. For each being what constitutes reality is subtly different. These realities clash constantly and shape each other as well.

This reality shapes our perception and what conclusions we derive from the world events. Turn on any news channel and listen to a political debate. Each spokesperson would represent their reality and we are left wondering whether all these persons are living on the same planet or not. Some say we are doing well economically and others argue that we are sliding behind. Of course, which argument a peels to us is also a reflection of our reality.

For some their favourite movie star’s hairstyle is the hottest news of the week and for some the number of sixes hit by their favourite player. For some it feels like the world has almost ended with the coming of Trump and for many the re-establishment of common sense has just begun.

We know at the level of species each species experiences the world differently. Humans, birds the fish all sense the world differently and form a totally different picture. It is also true each among us also form a similar and yet a different reality within.

This understanding of how each one of us is living in a shared and yet in a unique reality of their own is invaluable. When analysed in depth this insight can help us in countless ways. Meditate on this idea. Cultivate patients, observe yourselves and others around you. What matters to you may not matter to others and vice versa.

Mastering this understanding will help you to guide yourself as well as others towards a shared reality. As more and more people live and share a reality, more stronger and alive it becomes. Life becomes more cohesive and free flowing. On the other hand if your reality is constantly challenged and has to fight for its existence, then the mental disturbances gets increased and hunt for a stronger, more popular new reality begins.