Recently, I've written a bit about aspects of thinking and how they contribute to interpreting or viewing the world differently.
For the most part, I always try to separate real reality from perceived reality as different aspects of our mind make it to be.
But one of the realizations I've come up with is the latter is kind of a core aspect of what makes us human.
There's this saying that; Life is what we make it to be. This is true in many ways. Our thoughts have a way of influencing our reality, even if it's in a subtle way.
I think from the standpoint of real reality or objective reality, experiences are neither good or bad, or they're both good and bad. It just depends on how the individual interpretes the experience.
In a way, the individual perceives and interpretes reality based on a set of filters or mental models.
And these set of mental models are based on what?
These are the kind of thoughts that take me into rabbit holes on the nature of consciousness and subjective experience, how malleable our perception of reality truly is and whether there can ever be a truly objective viewpoint?
For the previous question, I think a good portion of our mental models are based on past experiences and cultural upbringing that shape up our personal beliefs and values.
Different cultures interpret the same experiences differently. For instance, I admire how Japanese culture views failure as a natural part of growth and learning, with concepts like 'kintsugi' celebrating the beauty in repair and imperfection.
That said, I also understand the reasoning behind Western culture's emphasis on success and achievement as driving forces for growth and progress.
It Is What It Is
In their own right, both perspectives offer a different wisdom and pathway to growth, and these seemingly contrasting approaches remind us that there's rarely one 'correct' way to interpret or respond to life's fundamental experiences.
In terms of the question on whether there can ever be a truly objective viewpoint, I think it's not impossible.
In the past, the average human was very much pre-personal, they belonged to their tribe, clan, or cultural group, and that was mostly their identity. Their worldview was largely shaped by collective beliefs and traditions, with little room for individual interpretation.
In our current epoch, being personal is increasingly emphasised, in that, we celebrate individuality, personal growth, and unique perspectives. We've moved from the collective-only mindset to one that recognizes and values individual consciousness and interpretation.
Now, here's me projecting but the next stage from pre-personal via personal is transpersonal. This is when we could achieve a synthesis of both collective and individual consciousness, maintaining our individual awareness but also accessing a broader, more universal perspective that transcends cultural and personal filters.
This could well be the closest we come to truly objective viewpoints, not by eliminating our subjective experience, but having a layer on top(or below?) that expands our awareness to encompass multiple perspectives simultaneously, thereby breaking free from the "caged" subjective experience.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.