What is the real? How can you define what the real is? Is there even a real definition of this real? The answer is yes and no. Somewhere in between. Its yes because there is a definition of real in each of our minds which stays unique to each one of us because of our different perspectives. But no, because there isn’t a concrete definition placed down in a way that is common for all of us. In reality, we might not even know if the real exists because how do you the existence of a thing that can just be described in words. So, yes I don’t know what the real is. But maybe that is what the real has in mind for me. Perhaps for me, it could be finding the truth. The true knowledge of the whole entirety of this world. In other words, for me the real is trying to gain the truth behind everything.
Ever though about political issues and how people usually uncover dirty secrets or accuse each other of doing things, or when any serious issue happened in the world but you don’t know the truth behind it. Well that’s exactly what I am after. Sometimes is feels good to say in ignorance because our hearts fear that truth is ugly. But I’m not. If anything, I am curious. I want to know what happened. I want to know the truth before supporting anyone or making any decision. But maybe that seems like an impossible dream. It’s because once one of my teachers showed me a water bottle and asked me what I saw and I replied the company name. And then he told me that he saw the nutrition label from his side. And he went on further to explain how the truth is similar to the water bottle. No one knows the truth, because one can only see part of the truth at one time, and that truth gets fixated in their head. And it’s virtually impossible to view the bottle as a whole at the same time.
Think about it this way. Why do you think the way you do today. It’s mostly because of what your parents and teachers have taught you and what you have experienced during your upbringing. Now imagine being taught that good was bad and bad was good. Flipping the definitions. Maybe then, today you would think that bad is righteous. That’s how the truth is hidden from us. Not being able to see everything at the same time. It’s physically or mentally impossible to process the whole truth at the same time because you can’t know what’s happening in the world and comprehend it all the same time.
We might have had so many wars because of various things such as language, culture, boundaries, race and religion. But ever wonder why? A lot of it has to do with the fact that sometimes we don’t understand the true nature of the other being, so we harm them by giving it the name of self defense. And slowly over time when you tell your group about that other being, they believe what you told to be as the truth and this shapes their perspective of that other being. Hence, creating oppression which turns out into a war.
However, if I knew the truth, then maybe I could make a difference, then maybe I could stop a war by stoping my personal fight. So, finding the truth, is what my the real is for me.
For me, what brings me closer to the real is philosophy. If there’s one thing that philosophy has taught me then it is understanding the different sides of the coin before making a decision. It has taught me that there are always different perspectives to something. For example, when in a dispute with somebody it is critical to understand the other person’s thoughts and keeping an open mind about it. For example, let’s say there was a disease on this planet and in a few days everyone was going to die. However, you can save that from happening if you take the life of the innocent child in front of you. How would one decide what to do? Side A might say that sooner or later the child might die anyways so it’s best to save the world by taking his life, however side B might say that no one has the right to kill the child, as the child has the right to live and a life is still a life, may it be a million or just one single life. For me, just being able to see these perspectives is what’s important as now I know two parts of the truth instead of just one. I am getting closer to it, even though I am not their yet. Philosophy has open my mind and helped me think differently, which is bringing a bit more closer to knowing the truth.
The truth doesn’t stop just their. It is infinite. It is being able to see the different aspects of matters and then deciding for the most logical solution which will lead to the least consequences. For example, I work at a restaurant and meet many new people day after day. Some customers are annoying and some are pleasant. And when you meet the annoying ones, you just want to kick them out. But sometimes you just have to stay shut, not because you are scared of losing the job, but because you understand their mindset and then reflect on what’s the best thing to do. Like the other day one of the customers asked me where I was from, and when I said India, he told me that he was from India too. And right after he asked me to give him extra food for free just because we were from the same country. When I didn’t give him the extra food he began arguing with me by saying that we both were from same countries so I should help him out. In my mind all I wanted to do was kick him out and be like go to some Indian restaurant (this is isn’t because I am Indian so I can say this lol). But I stopped, thought about it twice and just switched tables. I felt like at that moment if I had showed him his way out then maybe he wouldn’t do that again. I was so sure that it was the right thing to do to make people like them understand that it’s not our background or culture or religion that bond us together, but it’s rather the mentality and the way we think that bond people together. However, I stopped because I saw from his point of view and then this is what I imagined. Imagine being in an entirely new country and then seeing faces that are familiar to where you are from. You would wish that the other person should help you out in anyway possible because you have the same background. So, it’s that mentality which exists where I come from. I know that a lot of people from India usually do that and there is no helping it. It’s that mentality that has been set in their mind. So, instead of starting a conflict, why not just end it by walking away, because I knew it wasn’t worth wasting my time over. And if I walked away, they would a new server who wasn’t Indian and hence he wouldn’t be able to ask for anything for free. It’s like knowing the truth isn’t the end. You need to be able to analyze and find the best possible solution in your mind. That’s what I am after!
