“Trapped in a world of ideas”, what does it mean? What ideas am I trapped in? Well, you are in luck; this article will attempt to explain exactly what that means.
We live in a world of many cultures and customs. Everyone one of them is different from the other, some may have similarities but they are still disidentified from one another. Right now I am going to take you on a train of thought, one similar to the rabbit hole of our favorite tale which I need not mention, but here; the setting is in the “real world”.
(arbitrary question)!
Why do we wear suits?
Why are they a symbol of class, sophistication or even wealth to some extent? Sophistication is a product of higher intellect like simplicity giving birth to complexity but how exactly does a suit represent higher intellect. Anyone can wear it and this would not tell you much about their intellect up until you strike a conversation with them. Again I would like to come back to the title of this article” Trapped in a world of ideas”. Due to how our society is structured and being subjected to its conventions a man or woman in a suit represents wealth, high social status or sophistication. We can say that a bit of intelligence is assumed if not entirely because of the association we have with this sort of dress code, as opposed to a man wearing torn up jeans and a vest. This phenomenon is no different to an optical illusion :
"something that deceives the eye by appearing to be other than it is"
this is nothing more than a mental projection and this is more common in our society than we would like to admit or believe. Most of our behavior is modeled by external impressions which shape our reaction to external and internal stimuli. Many of the concepts such as “appropriate” or “inappropriate”, “cool” or “uncool” are all based on ideas which have been impressed or programmed onto our minds and they are no more real than an optical illusions. This optical illusion of reality is the trap I speak of, I use optical illusion only as a frame of reference in order to illustrate a point but the illusion is mainly perceptual.
How does one continue to function after waking up from this illusion? How do you relate to everyone that still subscribes to the illusion? It is often difficult to go back, it is similar to the “red and blue pill” from the popular movie the“ The Matrix” and usually people become isolated, depressed or both because they have no one to share this new found perspective with, without also coming across as mentally deranged. Seeking out those who share a similar experience is also normal as we are social beings who have a need for social contact and a sense of community with other human beings.
The power of this illusion is based on our beliefs. We often believe what we see without question or doubt and this is what solidifies it, like an impenetrable wall that keeps us locked in. Terms like “normal” or “weird” can only exist within this sphere of illusion because in reality nothing is “strange” or “abnormal”, some things might be unusual but it does not mean that we should dismiss them just because they cause us discomfort and disrupt our illusion of reality.
Every moment of everyday we get an opportunity to think and act differently; a chance to break the pattern that perpetuates the illusion. Very few of us take this opportunity because it also comes at a price which might be shame, rejection or ridicule by others, depending on how much your actions disturb the status quo; but some might be fascinated, inspired or liberated by your actions both possibilities exist simultaneously.
When looking at human history we realize that it was the “strange people” that catapulted the development of our society, it was those who held “strange ideas” in their minds and pursued them with relentless action regardless of how absurd they seemed, these are the pioneers of our society. It is these very people that later become icons sometimes to a point that they are idolized and anybody that attempts to follow in their footsteps is once again ridiculed for daring to achieve what only a few men were born to achieve. It is rather sick when you think about it because it is a culture that praises dead potential and oppresses a living one. One can make many examples of artists who lived and died poor only to be praised later after they had died and could not create anymore. This mindset and culture still lives on till today.
Social conventions and norms can only confine those who are still trapped in the illusion. Those who have freed their minds will naturally be strangers to the culture and this also extends to many other aspects of society such as politics, economics, nationalism, patriotism, communism, capitalism etc. For free minds all of these concepts no longer have power, these are only words that serve as triggers to evoke emotions which strengthen the illusion, no different to hypnotism. To avoid branching out to other complex subjects I will leave you with this thought for simplicity’s sake.
The phrase “Trapped in a world of ideas” serves to illuminate the point that society is built on ideas. Many aspects of everyday life are simply influenced by ideas which have been accepted by the psyche and these influence the choices we make. Many of our behavior patterns are unconscious, we hardly ever ask ourselves why we behave the way we do. The mechanisms that influence our choices are almost if not entirely unknown to us. As a society we cling to conventions the same way an addict would cling to their substance of choice, the only difference is that in the latter case the element of destructiveness is obvious. Fanaticism is a perfect example of the extremes of addictive behavior, just as a drug addict might end up committing a crime I order to feed their habit fanatics also do the same to protect their ideology whether it be in the name of sports, religion or politics just to name a few. It is essential that we become aware of this world of ideas and how it affects us; also to realize that the nature of reality is fluid and not as solid as we think it is. Every moment in life presents an opportunity for a new idea to be born, because this is the nature of reality, fertile and rich. Ideas come and go; therefore holding on to old ideas only promotes stagnation and can lead to ignorance. The world is an ever changing sphere of possibilities, what we perceive to be true today may change tomorrow but one thing which will always be true is that none of us know the truth about everything and only through openness can we find the truth together.
“Let's free our minds and fly”
Love and peace!