a lot of people think they know what reality is...

re�al�i�ty
Pronunciation: rE-'a-l&-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Date: 1550
1 : the quality or state of being real
2 a (1) : a real event, entity, or state of affairs <his dream became a reality> (2) : the totality of real things and events <trying to escape from reality> b : something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily
- in reality : in actual fact

can you say you know what reality is? if you can, then HOW? "because i know this is real"....and how do you know this is real? because your senses are sending your brain information that you interpret as being real...but dreams "feel" real sometimes, dont they?
you simply can't rely on your senses....for just a moment, forget about the senses...how can you know what is real when you can't rely on your senses? you can't....you just can't KNOW because KNOWING is a process that requires your brain to perceive your surroundings, but whatever im rambling here...
i once had this conversation with a friend while waiting for the metro, and this weird man overheard me, and he told me this: he said that EVERYTHING is real, hallucinations, dreams, thoughts, basically everything...
i dont aggree with him because i'd rather think that nothing is real.
but in the end, its the same fucken thing...
we just spend our lives feeding our brains...we live for mental stimulation, everything we do is for mental stimulation. why do you read a book? stimulates the mind...take a shower? to stay clean so that you won't get sick (etc) so you can experience more mental stimulation...
maybe i don't make any sense...feel free to add your thoughts

there is no * real * way to prove something is real , because in that respect it's circular isnt it ^^ But because we cannot substitute reality to avoid this error of reasoning , it's the only basis to determine anything . Think of it reversed , prove that things * arent real * . So we're left with the best & most applicable points we can work with . That do by & large determine things whether or not to be fully comprehended , to at least be . So as to whether how * real * they are , comes down to our subjective sense-interpretation .


As for knowing how we are real , oddly I cannot recall who said it , but the guy who arrived at the conclusion * I doubt therefore I am * is spot on . It's best you read the full explanation rather than my half heated incoherent points ^^

----- we live for mental stimulation, everything we do is for mental stimulation. why do you read a book? -------

this isnt explicitly true . Or it's not fully defined , we do live for stimulation , but to what end ? people in the examples you give live for pleasure . or happiness , which is mental stimulation which translates as happiness or something that makes us feel * good , better , happier * etc


so though you are reasonably right in your conclusion you need to understand that mental stimulation & happiness are not always one & the same objective .

ok, its hard to explain...i mean think about it...everything we do, ultimately, is for some form of mental stimulation, whether it be happiness, whether it be peace of mind, etc....if this wasn't true than everybody would be killing themselves...we live to continue living, we continue living so we can continue to do things....maybe im not making it clear i guess...our whole lives are based on creating mental stimulation...we go to school , get an education, so we can eventually get a "good job", so we can have a lot of money, so we can do whatever we want, and have "fun"....this is a vague example but think about it...it's like life is just a long chain of events, and each one affects the other, and each one has the intention of affecting the other...
the reason we feel pleasure is nature's way of making us survive....if we think of everything as a means of survival suddenly you can see how we're just animals...love? its just the means to bring two people together so they can reproduce and pass on their genes=survival of the species...so the reason there even is such a thing as happiness is just nature's way to keep us GOING through this shit....like 70% of life (give or take a couple 10%) is bad (bad meaning depressing, boring, tedious etc...) its for that small amount of GOOD times that we keep on going. its the only reason we're still around..alright i've rambled on too much..

If you want to know for sure if your dream is real or not just pick up a large sharp object like a ice pick or a phillips screw driver and jam it as hard as you can into the left side of your chest.

hahaha very funny...
but pain is an illusion anyways

ok, its hard to explain...i mean think about it...everything we do, ultimately, is for some form of mental stimulation, whether it be happiness, whether it be peace of mind, etc....if this wasn't true than everybody would be killing themselves...we live to continue living, we continue living so we can continue to do things....maybe im not making it clear i guess...our whole lives are based on creating mental stimulation...------

right well your post touches on a lot of points that I dont think anyone has a good answer to .


anyway just to break it down . Yes we live to live , to what end is hard to understand . It's similar to asking what the meaning of life is ^^


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we go to school , get an education, so we can eventually get a "good job", so we can have a lot of money, so we can do whatever we want, and have "fun"....this is a vague example but think about it...it's like life is just a long chain of events, and each one affects the other, and each one has the intention of affecting the other...-------


ok , I dont get the last part though .


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the reason we feel pleasure is nature's way of making us survive....if we think of everything as a means of survival suddenly you can see how we're just animals-----


well see a lot of your statements are inherently assumed on particular points that would come under scrutiny for a thorough understanding of these very complex questions . Such as * it's natrues way to make us sruvive * . Before that could be accepted , it'd have to be explained just where exactly natrue got the idea/s to make things life / survive etc . This kind of question in evolutionary terms is akin to the chicken & egg question . Which came first life or the desire to live ? If you think about the results , it's very self-serving to say the least .


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...love? its just the means to bring two people together so they can reproduce and pass on their genes=survival of the species...-------


well actually things like love n ideals dont really serve evolution very well . Lust does a much better job . Love blinds people to the purely survival & self centered qualities we all share . Which is very detrimental to the sruvival & development of the species .

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so the reason there even is such a thing as happiness is just nature's way to keep us GOING through this shit....like 70% of life (give or take a couple 10%) is bad (bad meaning depressing, boring, tedious etc...) its for that small amount of GOOD times that we keep on going. its the only reason we're still around..alright i've rambled on too much.. --------

k , Im confused ^^ I think your first post & second post seem to be vastly different ^^ Lots of good points for discussion though . Anyway you are implying far to much in nature when you say these things come about for the purpose of prevaling life . Does nature think about these things before coding them into life ? Nature doesnt think though right ?


I think yur question is basically what do we exist for , to what end . Happiness is the simple answer , but what truly makes us happy or why do these things make us happy ? I dont know ^^

yeah your right about the two posts being different...and honestly i dont know if nature thinks...
there are too many theories and too many "answers" and its fucking confusing...

there are too many theories and too many "answers" and its fucking confusing... -----


yes it is very confusing . And that is the best conclusion . It's better to acknowledge our lack of answers of reality than assume we know everything implicitly . The questions you ask ( and there is a lot of them ^^ ) are very deep & intricate to our existence . It's very confusing ^^ Though it is very beneficial to think & wonder about these things .


the internet can be a wonderful thing in this regard , we can all get together & consider things that we've been cosnidering for a very long time ^^

reality and beauty are one and the same.

they both reside in the eye of the beholder.

is that your quote??

quote:

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Originally posted by lostmind:
reality and beauty are one and the same.

they both reside in the eye of the beholder.

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and a rose is as sweet by any other name....

however i disagree about them being one and the same, although they are both in the eye of the beholder, reality can be far from beautiful.
war, sickness, death, poverty, despression, lack of freedom, all these have tangible connotation and im sure an image comes to your mind with every one.
Many people would have different images of each one.
Not many would be beautiful.

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r3M|_4[]D|\|4yR

i meant it's the only place that either of them exist.

but it'd probable be better said "in the mind of the beholder"