Fete Lifestyle Magazine February 2021 - Reality/Realness Issue | Page 65

R

eality is something

everyone sees

through their own

eyes.

For most of us, objective reality is the way each of us experiences it with his/her own senses. Reality is shaped by what and how we are able to see, to hear, to touch, and to taste things in combination with our feelings and emotions. The outcome, what we perceive in any given moment, varies from person to person depending on their physical ability, feelings, social identities and belief systems such as religion, politics and science. These factors all form our thoughts and views and determine further our judgments and decisions. For someone a glass can be half empty, for someone else it is half full.

In Buddhism and Hinduism, meditation is used as a tool to clarify thoughts, calming our mind. It’s also believed that there is a correlation between meditation and how we perceive reality. Based on scientific research, a daily introspective practice of meditation can raise our awareness and compassion and help us make mindful decisions rather than become driven by our emotions like fear or anger which we experience at a given situation. Meditation helps us to perceive the world around us with calm thoughts and clearer eyes. It enables us to go inwards to our subconscious mind and have our own thoughts and emotions sorted and filtered. Afterwards it helps us to look outwards and connect with others and the world.

In the pandemic, reality is quite challenging. With all the restrictions on us and all the news surrounding us, I perceive this new reality as a disconnection from my family, my friends, and from the world. This is a frustrating fact. No one knows how long it’s going to take, how much it’ll impact our future, or what more we can expect from this unprecedented situation. All these questions can lead to loneliness, anxiety, depression and helplessness. The pandemic has become our new reality and for me, the shift of my mindset and focus has helped me cope. Meditation helps me to calm my racing mind from negative thoughts and gain control over my thoughts and feelings.

Meditation has taught me to spend more time in nature and learn how to pay attention to different details in it. Nature has become an inspiration for my photography; it’s my therapy where I can be fully focused and stay in the present moment. Gaining clarity of my thoughts during meditation is beneficial for me and has led me to try something completely new - sailing. Shifting focus and learning new things is a very helpful tool in learning how to cope with negative thoughts and feelings. It’s up to us how we perceive reality, it’s our choice.

I love this quote: “We can’t change reality, let’s change the eyes which see reality.”