Altered reality and me
I never really understood deeply the concept of a different reality. I’ve always pretty much been of the opinion that you look around and what you see is fact. You weigh up information that comes to you for its validity and truth, and if others are presented with the same information, you will come up with the same facts. People simply don’t take away the same things from information and experiences.
I’ve run into this a lot while traveling. I’ll be experiencing something new and different and be thrilled by it. Others, doing the same thing will be appalled. For example that time in a fancy hotel in the north of Japan on the island of Hokkaido. I had to go to the toilet. I mean, I had to go to the toilet now. The meter had left orange and was headed toward red.
I guess I need to back up a second here. I was there to speak at a conference and was being hosted by a civic group. We had been provided formal Japanese clothing for the occasion. Perhaps for the only time in my life I was at the forefront of fashion. I started by pulling over this full body cotton tee-shirt. Next came a heavy wool vestment that looked like a priest’s gown and finally a sort of suit jacket over it. No pants under.
It was thus festooned I went in search of relief. Now I don’t read Japanese but I figured it was the room where the men were entering and leaving. I went in, pulled open a stall door and was aghast! Someone has taken the toilet. And this was a fancy hotel too. I went to the next stall, nada. Now here I was processing a lot of information. Men were going in and out of the same stalls I had found wanting and seemed perfectly at ease. Could, perhaps, the fault be with me for not recognizing the true nature of that trough in the floor? I entertained the idea. Must be. I went back in.
Driven by need as much as certainty of course of action, I proceeded. The Japanese, ever to be stereotyped as clever, put a sink into the top of the toilet supply tank. Great use of space I thought. I deposited my new camera in the sink so as to be safe. With more hope than conviction I figured out how to use this new device.
Ahhhhhhhhh, thats over. I stood, and satisfied I had survived another day on the road I flushed the toilet. Now, to get maximum use of the water supply, before the water in the reservoir was replaced, it was used to wash your hands. In my case, it was used to shower my camera. The camera worked no more forever.
But, I guess this is not exactly to the point. Its more like two reactions to the same experience. I thought it was funny and love to tell the story. Other people might find the experience horrible and a reason to suspect the Japanese, but after the physical discomfort was gone, I considered it another great travel experience.
No, the sort of altered reality I’m talking about is the fundamental beliefs upon which a person orders their life. The most obvious example would be an atheist and a christian. A true christian believes that Christ is alive and will taken them to heaven if they meet a certain criteria. They believe it. It is their reality. Atheists, on the other hand, demand more facts.
So, this is the same explanation that I have for myself for the current political situation. I could not understand how any sane person could support our stable genius. In some people’s mind, he is a great and wonderful person. The mere fact that he was elected gives him standing. It makes you long for the days of the divine right of kings.
There must be some dynamic struggle that exists between hard wired tribal behaviors and logic and intellect. The tribal instinct of “defend at all cost” outweighs the facts. They feel compelled to support their tribal leader. What they see as gallant defense of their tribal leader, the rest of us see a hypocrisy.
I can understand their reluctance to confront the facts. Its hard to question what you’ve always held to be true. I suppose you can’t think of things in a totally new way until you have an overwhelming need and no place to turn except your brains. Kind of like me looking for a toilet in Sapporo.