May Life and Peace be upon all beings.
We all seek Safety and Happiness, Liberty to live our lives according to our own choices and in Peace.
During this seek, experiences vary: some are already happy, others are afraid to no longer be happy, others are trying to become happy, and some have lost hope.
However, according to each person, this depends on the state of the World in which we live.
What is the state of the World?
How can we find happiness in it?
And what hope can we have in it?
Such questions can give rise to a lot of reflections and discussions, and quite varied opinions.
Many will want to agree on what seems to them to be a consensus, with an answer so obvious that the question does not even arise: for them, the world is going badly, and if it is not obvious for others, to be convinced of this we just have to follow the news and to see how stressful and difficult daily life is. For them, how could it be otherwise if not by denying reality to take refuge in illusions?
Others will have different reflections, saying that the World is beautiful and that there are so many experiences to live and hidden treasures to discover. As an evidence, they live in very charming places and they often travel, either in luxury or with little money, some partying in all the trendy places of the World, the others discovering the wonders of nature and human authenticity in local cultures.
Some will have a more nuanced speech, far from stereotypes and extremes, saying that there is everything in the world, that nothing is completely black or completely white, but that there are limitless shades of grey between the two extremes, and that we can find in the World both good and evil, as much beauty as ugliness, as much happiness as suffering.
With such varied and sometimes even opposing responses, we may wonder where the truth lies, who is right?
Well, do you know what? They are all right!
All of them? But, you will say, such positions are not compatible, the World cannot be in all of these states at the same time, if it is in a given state then it cannot be in other states, it seems obvious!
Obvious? Really? How do we know that one position is true or that another is false?
Ah, but then, you will say, we just have to see the facts! The facts do not lie, they cannot be denied!
The facts? It starts to get interesting!
What facts? And now, everyone will start defending their position. Everyone will mention sources, come up with arguments, talk about testimonies, what some journalist has reported, what some authoritative expert has stated, etc. The debate would be long, complex, sometimes even tense, each person convinced that he is right, ridiculing the so-called evidence that the others provide, and offended that the others do not admit the validity of the evidence he himself provided.
We will then witness one of the states of the World, a state of division, tension, sometimes conflict:
Those who call themselves realists, denouncing blindness and toxic positivity, and being described as pessimists,
Those who claim to be happy, denouncing a narrowly minded pessimism, and being described as disconnected from reality,
Those who claim to be nuanced, denouncing extreme positions lacking moderation, and being described as neutralists who do not have the courage to position themselves.
So, in the end, who is right?
They are all right!
They are all right, because each individual lives his own personal reality, and projects it onto others and onto the World, expecting everyone to experience things in the same way as they do.
But then, you will say, what about material, physical facts? They are not imagined, they actually happened, we cannot deny it!
And this is where the fundamental distinction is made between the physical facts on the one hand, and the psychical perception of the facts and how we react to them on the other hand!
This is the difference between 2 planes of reality: objective physical reality, and subjective psychical realities.
Objective reality is physical and constant, invariable, it is what it is, it is the Real World that is common to all.
Objective reality can only be qualified as such if it is taken in a complete and impartial manner, without excluding or adding anything to it.
A rock on the ground, a cloud in the sky, a bird singing, are objective realities, they are and they exist in themselves, they are present in space and in time, they can only be acknowledged, to deny them would be absurdity and blindness.
However, subjective realities are psychical in nature and they are variable, they exist only in the consciousness of each individual, they each constitute a personal world that is different from the world of others. There are as many subjective realities and personal worlds as there are individuals.
They are the perceptions of each individual, they depend on each individual’s perspective, they are influenced by the circumstances of the situation and by the past experience of the individual, they are emotionally charged, and each person will assign to them a different meaning and react to them differently.
Subjective realities are biased and incomplete, they do not consider the whole, but they perceive only certain parts of it to the exclusion of others, and to the perceived facts they add feelings, emotions and judgments, amplifying some elements while minimising others, and assigning to each element a value as being good or bad.
The rock on the ground, for the one who needs to pass his vehicle, it is an obstacle to be removed and an annoyance, but for the one who takes a walk in nature, it is a beautiful item that tells about the history of the earth.
The cloud in the sky, for those who need some sun, it obscures their pleasure, but for the one who feels too hot and that is sweating, it protects him from the heat and gives him some rest.
The bird that sings, for the one who is tired and needs some calmness, it is a boring noise to be silenced, but for the one who comes to resource himself in nature, it is music that appease his soul.
Thus, the same objective reality can be perceived and felt and experienced differently by different people, who will each react to it in different ways.
When it comes to human phenomena, especially emotional, relational or social ones, the factors are more numerous and the situations are more complex, because they mix objective physical realities and subjective psychical perceptions of several people, the part of each of the 2 becoming more difficult to distinguish; especially when the observed facts consist of human behaviour, the subjectivity of each person becomes an object of perception by others.
Thus, to objective physical facts such as words that are spoken and gestures that are performed and actions that are taken, many different psychical meanings, feelings and intentions can be associated by each person:
The intention of the one who acts,
The perception of the one who receives the action, his feelings and his reaction,
The perception of one or more third parties who accompany them and who witness the interaction, each from their own perspective, and their potential interference in the interaction,
And the perception of one or more observers that are external to the group and who witness the whole event, each from their own perspective.
Complexity increases considerably when it comes to sets of several interactions between several individuals, or even between groups of individuals, especially when it is on a large scale involving thousands of individuals in a society or even between different peoples on an international scale.
In such complex human contexts where the objective reality of physical facts, and the subjective psychical realities of the perceptions and feelings and experiences of each individual, each group, each society, each people, are intertwined, it can be difficult to distinguish between them.
However, this distinction is not only possible with a minimum effort of observation, of logical reasoning, and of investigation; But above all, it is necessary, in order to avoid jumping too quickly to conclusions that may be wrong and that may lead to misunderstandings or even to unnecessary retaliation and to injustice, when they could be avoided and the situation could be resolved by taking a step back from our immediate perception and feelings.
When we become aware of this distinction between the objective reality of physical facts on the one hand and the subjective psychical realities and perceptions of each individual on the other hand, then we become aware that the state of the world is in reality the projection of our individual and personal subjective psychical realities, and their sum on a collective scale.
Each Individual Being, each Self, is a world in its own right and distinct from that of others.
Each of us is a personal world that is made up of our own perspectives, our own perceptions, our own feelings, our own experiences, our own memories, our own history, our own past, and generating our own reactions and ways of managing things, which are different from those of others.
And when we think of the World in general and in its whole, even if it is the physical World common to all Humanity, we project onto it our own perceptions and feelings and experiences.
We perceive the world in our image!
We project onto the world our own perceptions and feelings, our emotions and thoughts, our beliefs and values,
We project onto the physical World our own psychical world which we stick on it like a packaging, without distinguishing one from the other, confusing the two and mistakenly believing that our psychical world is the physical World or that it represents it accurately and completely,
We perceive the World as we are ourselves and as we feel and think internally.
Thus, the one who lives in ignorance and in fear sees the World as a dangerous place where he must hide and fight to survive, therefore going badly,
Whereas the one who lives in Knowledge and in Peace, he sees the World as a place of beauty where he is free to live and to enjoy life, therefore doing well.
The opinions we express about the World reflect our own psychical state!
The state of the World is the reflection of the state of the Self!
And when our Self, our Individual Consciousness, our Psyche or Soul, changes, our perception of the World changes, and as a result our world changes, our personal reality changes.
Thus, everyone creates their own reality!
And everyone has the power to create their own reality!
The Security, Peace, Liberty and Happiness that we seek must be sought and found and created within one’s Self, before they manifest externally in our world in which we live.
The creation of one’s own reality is done through the Knowledge of the Self, which is distinct from the Knowledge of the World.
The Knowledge of the World is external and material, it is based on what is apparent, visible, audible, sensible and observable commonly by all, which can be quantified and measured.
It is utilitarian, enabling us to survive and to use our environment for our pleasure.
In our consciousness, it is concentrated in the form of an individualised and superficial image of the Self that disconnects and dissociates itself from the true Self and from the rest of the World, the Me (which is the ego, not the psychoanalytic one).
It is at a degree of consciousness that is ordinary and average, basic and superficial.
The Security, Peace, Liberty and Happiness that we seek outside of ourselves in materiality are fragile and unstable, superficial and temporary, the hazards of the world can put an end to them and cause us suffering.
The Knowledge of the Self is internal and psychical, it is hidden from the exteroceptive senses, invisible and untouchable externally, it is sensible and observable only individually and internally.
It is Consciousness, the Consciousness of the Self that determines the Consciousness that we have of the World.
It is at higher degrees of consciousness, where our consciousness descends into the depths of the subconscious interior of the Self in order to lift the veils that hide it and thus to know ourselves, before ascending to the heights of the superconscious that are Life and Knowledge.
The Security, Peace, Liberty and Happiness that we seek within our Selves in Life and Knowledge are solid and stable, deep and lasting, they give us the strength to live and to remain ourselves without being affected by the hazards of the external world.
With Trust and Hope, our Consciousness can be Awakened to the Unlimited Power that is hidden deep within each one of us, and that can be Liberated to the Creation of our own reality, our own world, our own life, to Security and Liberty and Happiness!
Author: Iskander ElFihri ElFassi, First Leader of the One All World Organisation
Published: Friday 2nd August 2024
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