What is reality? How do you define what is real?

JaniceM said:
I disagree.
Individuals' personal experiences or perceptions can vary, but facts cannot.
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This may be a semantic problem (to me 'real' and 'fact' are not always synonymous). or we may have to agree to disagree. All i know is what one person experiences and perceives does not invalidate the experiences and perceptions of another. Our experiences shape our perceptions as much as vice versa. They are why optical illusions work and how illusionists are able to simulate 'magic'.

The mistake some make, is to think because something can be faked, that every such a occurance is fake, unreal.

There are families where children are not treated consistently/fairly -- roles get assigned, labels applied. The 'golden child' often remembers the parents as wonderful the scapegoated one not so much and it can damage sibling relationships. Tho i do know of one family where the GC and SG figured out this was their parents issue, unfair and were close and supportive of each other into adulthood.

Not everything that is 'real' can can be weighed, measured or even perceived. Some of the best human qualities are things that can only be perceived by observing their effects: compassion, love.
 

Well, since I am the only one who studied this question...it is over 2500 years old! And there is still no final answer people agree upon. Most people think of their lives as reality to them. Human lives. The universe or cosmos are very complex answers. I have found that professional experts tend to find answers from their own field and research interests, only. So they validate their life work and beliefs. Religion say God is it, physicists say mathematics in general, and quantum theory, philosophers' anything, like matter, time or spirit or Being. Etc. In the end, the physicists will probably dominate the answers because their theories are testable. The rest is speculation only in the Big Picture. The atomic theory was merely speculation in ancient times. So was mathematics.
 
Reality is that secret place where
a large percentage of man's potential, motivation,
and accomplishments are stored ☺️
 

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Reality is a figment of perceived acceptance. Reality is subjective to individual beliefs and perception. Universal realty does not exist on every level of consciousness 100% all of the time. Time and life experience modifies and changes reality as we grow older. in truth however, it is I who changed the way reality is understood.

Reality is a matter of choice, choose wisely.
 
I suspect there are two realities; apparent reality, and an underlying fundamental reality. Apparent reality is what we can observe and measure. And that allows us to explain many things. But, the more we observe and learn, the stranger it gets. Quantum mechanics and relativity make no sense at all. But, they appear to be real. Time is not constant. Why? The speed of light is. Why? The universe began as a point smaller than a proton. Can you wrap your head around that?

It may be that fundamental reality is something we will never fully grasp. String theory postulates that quarks are made from vibrating strings with 11 dimensions. This is so far from our ordinary experience, that it's virtually meaningless. I think I read somewhere that anyone who claims to understand quantum mechanics, really doesn't.
 
.........and the Princess and the Prince discuss what's real and what is not
It doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden..........

Only the privileged have this conversation, or college students or the retired. I used to love analysis on topics such as this. I envy those here who participated. I'm not smart enough anymore.
 
hollydolly said:
what if for example you felt you could touch it, which made it very real for you?

For example for many years as a young adult..20's/30's.. after a particularly traumatic event in my life, I suffered from what took me years to learn was probably sleep paralysis.. but at the time was a horrendous feeling while I was asleep of someone sitting on my bed, or on my legs.. and I was awake, and in sheer terror of what this thing was.

I couldn't move no matter how I tried, nor could I cry out much as I tried... and the feeling of dread and horror was overwhelming to the point that sometimes I would stay sleeping with the light on, it never seemed to happen then. I started sleeping with my bible and rosary next to my bed.. I feared I was being visited by some kind of poltrgeist, and this was as real to me as this computer is to me right now..
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Picking up on sleep paralysis. The doctor explained it as your mind waking up while your body is still asleep. I had it from around 9 years old until late teens. I didn't suffer all that you did but it was frightening to wake up and not be able to move.
 
I wish this was real. Justice for O.J. ( I ran into this when watching Naked Gun 2 1/2 for the first time. Then I searched for it clipped I searched the movie and added simpson punished. )

 
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