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Reality
| Philosophy 101 |
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Reality |
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Brad Member Ascendant
since 1999-08-20
Posts 5705Jejudo, South Korea |
"We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality." --Ayn Rand |
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Stephanos
since 2000-07-31
Posts 3618Statesboro, GA, USA |
Isn't that just to say "We can't successfully evade reality"? Stephen. |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
It depends on what reality you are talking about. If it is a swarm of bees coming my way, then I will gladly face the consequences of evading that reality. |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Essorant, evading the bees is not the same as evading the reality that they are coming at you and that they sting. If you evade those realities, the consequences will be painful. That's what Ms. Rand meant.... Not accepting the fact that a rock is inedible does not allow you to have it for dinner  |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
isn't that too all-encompassing of a statement? wouldn't there be many types of situations where "evading reality" would result in no consequential reaction? would simply being unaware of reality net the same results as evasion? also, to use "consequences" implies a negative connotation - couldn't it just as likely be a positive reaction? |
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Edward Grim Senior Member
since 2005-12-18
Posts 1154Greenville, South Carolina |
In my mind, I believe that there are two realities, a real one and a personal one. Allow me to explain my theory. Every human being has their own personal reality and world, otherwise known as their state of mind. If a man truly thinks that he is a duck, then in his reality, is a duck. But in the "real" reality, he is as human as you and me, a little confused and plagued with delusion and fatigue of mind, but nonetheless a person. If a person believes in something strongly enough, it doesn't matter what reality their state of mind is in, it will be true to them no matter what. Evading reality, in my opinion, is just being too caught up in your own personal reality and ignoring the real own. But still they live in a reality, it may be a made-up one but to them it is not; to them is real. People who go insane, most of the time think nothing of it. They are not going crazy, the "real" world that they live in is going berserk, so they take refuge in their own world, their own state of mind. It is the same principle with religious beliefs. I am Catholic and no one can change my religion; not a man with a gun to my head or the sexiest woman in the shortest skirt. In my reality, my religion is the right one. But there are many others religions out there, so people with different beliefs would be ready to disagree with me because in their mind, their religion is at the top of the food change. (Now I’m just giving an example, I grew up respecting all religions and beliefs, this is just to give you guys an example.) Life is all a state of mind. So the life of an individual depends on what condition their mind is in. In my reality, the year is 2006 and I am a white male with dark brown hair and I enjoy reading books and making films and right now I am on a computer. Now whether that’s the real reality or my askew personal one, I guess I’ll never know for sure, lol. Once you are truly insane, it’s all picnics with Kafka after that. See, it’s the process of going crazy that you gotta worry about. |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
*grins* I just love ya Brad...and what a brain frat, here.  thank you  I needed the smiles today.  and thanks to Ron too, as apparently, the brain frats are not allowed in the philosophy forum, as I had to edit for inappropriate content, since gaseous emissions are not allowed. grin A reality check! |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
"Essorant, evading the bees is not the same as evading the reality that they are coming at you and that they sting. If you evade those realities, the consequences will be painful." But not evading the bees mentally may not help me much if I don't evade that reality physically. I think in such a case I need to face the reality and evade it: the mind needs to face it, but the body needs to evade it! |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Edward, I respectfully disagree with your double reality existence. i believe there is only one reality, regardless of what your mind perceives to be reality. In your reality, for example, you may think you can fly. Jump off a cliff and you're gonna die. In your reality, everyone may be fair, honest, and wonderful. Walk through Harlem at 3 am and it won't matter what you think. People who choose their own reality over true reality are the ones who suffer the most. Those who cannot realize reality when it faces them pay the price. Hospitals are filled with people who have their own realities and believe that they will beat their incurable disease. Thank God they do. It gives them a little hope in a hopeless situation...and then they die. One cannot evade reality, regardless of what alter-realities they come up with. One can certainly make reality work in their favor - as long as they recognize it. Reminds me once again of one of my favorite songs from the sixties, "The Snake", in which a woman finds a snake frozen in the snow, takes it in, thaws it out and saves it's life. Afterewards it bites her and,as she lays dying, wants to know how the snake could do that to someone who just saved it's life. The last two lines of the song are the words of the snake... "Oh, shut up, silly woman, said that reptile with a grin, "You knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in!" That's reality... |
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Edward Grim Senior Member
since 2005-12-18
Posts 1154Greenville, South Carolina |
First off, you can call me Ed, all my friends do. I hate the formalities, lol. I respect that you disagree, most people disagree with a lot of things I say; I get used to it. Now what I said was that there is a real reality and a personal one (a fake one). If a person truly believes that spiders are eating their face, that's their reality. You can't tell them that spiders aren't eating their face because it is totally real to them. That'd be like someone trying to tell you that they are a goat; it goes against everything you believe to think that someone is goat; it’s ridiculous. True, these people with their own realties are messed up for the most part but still to them everything is real. "People who choose their own reality over true reality are the ones who suffer the most." True, I agree with you on that but you just said that they choose their own reality, a personal one. Yeah I mean sure, they're gonna kill themselves doing crazy stuff but guess what? It's not crazy to them. "In your reality, for example, you may think you can fly. Jump off a cliff and you're gonna die." That's my point right there. This is why I have this two realities theory. Obviously, someone who thinks they can fly is not in tune with reality. In their world, they can fly; in their own reality, they CAN fly. Why else would someone jump off a cliff to fly if they didn't believe it? If it wasn’t totally true and feasible to them, they sure as hell wouldn’t jump. Forget that they die from the fall, that's not really what we're talking about. Yes, people that delusional get hurt more often and are more prone to die but that doesn't negate their state of mind. "It gives them a little hope in a hopeless situation...and then they die. " Very cynical, I like that. "One cannot evade reality, regardless of what alter-realities they come up with." True again, a person cannot evade reality, no matter waht. It's like our man trying to fly again. In his world, he's soaring like a hawk; but in ours (the real one that is) he’s spaghetti at the bottom of a cliff. Once you are truly insane, it’s all picnics with Kafka after that. See, it’s the process of going crazy that you gotta worry about. |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Well spoken, Ed. As I always say....reality is for people that can't face fantasy |
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Edward Grim Senior Member
since 2005-12-18
Posts 1154Greenville, South Carolina |
Out of this whole discussion, you seem to nail it on the head with that. Bravo. Once you are truly insane, it’s all picnics with Kafka after that. See, it’s the process of going crazy that you gotta worry about. |
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XOx Uriah xOX Senior Member
since 2006-02-11
Posts 1403Virginia |
Reality? of the well frog... or the sea turtle? The "reality" of the eagle... or of the mole? The butterfly can still see from and understand the perspective of the caterpillar... But, what does the caterpillar know of the butterfly's perspective? |
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kif kif Member
since 2006-06-01
Posts 439BCN |
Well, in my reality, Serenity Blaze just said "brain-fa*t", but checking the actual reality offers a different perspective! And, I'm not allowed to type it, so there you go. The reality is, facing fantasy might mean never looking back... |
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