What is real? What is 'reality'? Do we all see the same realities? Or do we each construct our own personal experience - our own interpretation of reality? Is there another way of looking at things? What is the sense of 'truth', which we all know but is so hard to find? What do I, you, we want...really- A better lifestyle, more things, more money, more time, higher status, recognition ? Or through such circumstances to feel more content, more at peace, more at ease? Is this money, this fame, these riches distracting people from knowing the truth.
In Hinduism, it is believed that the world is an illusion - Maya. They believe that "God is capital Truth", and only God is real (Janamanchi). And thus the story of one man came to be. There once lived a being that came up to God, and declared his idolatry to him. He said, "I think of you every second, every minute, every waking hour of the day. I worship you. I pray to you. I am with you". To this God said, "Let us take a walk". After walking for some time, God said, "My throat hurts, will you please find me some water"? To this, the man replied, "Of course, I will do anything for you", and he set off to find a well. Well, he stumbled upon one soon enough, and as he was having trouble getting water, he saw a beautiful lady approaching him. He asked for her help, all the while falling for her; for her beauty and compassion. They married at once, had a family with children, and became wealthy plantation owners. All was well for the man, yet through all these valuables, he began forgetting what really mattered. His own ego and the tempters in the everyday "world" pulled him away.
One tragic day, a sudden flash flood swept through the village where he and his family lived. Everyone died except for the man. He was in terrible anguish, and he cried for help from the God, screaming, "Where are you"? The God replied, "Where is my water"?
And everything disappeared - everything. Why so? Because Hindus believe that everything around us is an illusion. The only thing real...is God; which is precisely why only God did not disappear that moment. They were once again walking, for the God wanted the man to see something. They walked, again, for some time, when the God said, "See over there, that scanty, poor beggar? He owns a small strip of land, a farm if you cold call it that, his children are starving, and his wife relentlessly sick, yet he never forgets, in the end, to think of me all the time, to watch for me, to pray to me; he never loses touch with reality, with me. When I see someone like that, I believe that they (he) are with me. And so, as the story tells, we shall unremittingly question, "What, or whom, around us is real"?
Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy. It is responsible for the study of existence. It answers the question "What is?" It encompasses everything that exists, as well as the nature of existence itself. It considers whether the world is real, or merely an illusion. Without an explanation or an interpretation of the world around us, we would be helpless to deal with reality. We could not live life, or act to preserve our lives. The degree to which our metaphysical worldview is correct is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world, to understand, and to act accordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect. Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more difficult to live. Any unanswerable question will deny us the morality to strive, in life, for anything. We would be hopeless, helpless and depend on lies.
The effect of living in lies can be hazardous to our lives, the answers need to be searched. For more:
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