Another lingering reflection, this time following up a bit on my Version of Reality post earlier this week:
I have to wonder if our capacity to construct our own version of reality (and thereby disconnect from what actually is real) is not at the core of the various kinds of addiction we can end up in. Narratives and stories we create and use to reinforce our version of reality are the pieces and justifications we claim to need in order to perpetuate something (a feeling?) we are after. In other words, they work for us — we get something from it.
It seems like many of these kind of things are on a spectrum with a tendency, on one end, to lock in on a subset of things that exist and an addiction to them, on the other end, that actually distorts our perception of what is really real. We replace the whole with just a part of reality.
Why is this mechanism so attractive (to whatever degree it is functioning in our lives)? I’m guessing that part of our attempt to locate something that feels real, is actually more deeply trying to avoid something else. A kind of hurt or pain that we believe we cannot endure and, therefore, justify the smaller existence definition we feel we need (and deserve).
We might say it (or think it) like this:
I need this because of the way I feel. Something about my life is too hard for me...finish here.
What we find in life is based on where we put our attention. When we focus on the small worlds our thoughts create, we miss out on the beauty and possibilities we are meant to enjoy.
-- Guy Finley
