Four realities

[Teacher]

The real journey is not about seeing new places, but about seeing the world with a new perspective. These are the words of Marcel Proust. So, at one of his seminars, psychologist Serge King suggests taking a fresh look at reality and admitting that it is not one. There are four of them. In reality, there are much more realities, just as many as there are people on the planet. This means that each of us has his own view of the world, and therefore his own reality. But that's not the point here. Dividing reality into four types gives us a great advantage, namely the ability to change the angle.

So, the four realities are:
1. Objective reality
2. Subjective reality
3. Symbolic reality
4. Holistic reality

1. Objective and real

This view of the world is closest to a person with a Western (European) type of thinking. With this approach, things are considered separately from each other. That is, I am me, and you are you.

Mine is mine, and yours is yours. In many situations of life, this approach is eminently reasonable. This way you can easily combine items into groups and sort them. I think scientists most rightfully view the world this way. All mental principles and laws of constructing new knowledge are derived from objective reality.

The "correct" way of objective knowledge is to compare different things and identify differences. In many cases, this is really useful for knowledge.

Example. When your team wins a match, you happily consider yourself part of the winning group and celebrate with the champions. Or: I am very grateful when the pharmacy gives me exactly the drugs that are indicated in the prescription, that is, they separate the ones I need from everyone else. Focusing too much on difference, however, can be destructive. For example, someone who places too much emphasis on differences between people tends to feel fearful and unfriendly towards other people. In general, here, as always, a strict observance of the balance is necessary.

2. Subjective reality

From this position, the world looks somewhat different. It often happens in life that you like a person whom someone you know hates. That is, your subjective realities differ relative to him. And I really hope that my daughter's subjective reality will coincide with mine when she chooses her first boyfriend! Thus, our subjective perception belongs entirely to this area. For example, millions of people watch music shows and enjoy pop music. For their subjective reality, such a vacation is quite pleasant. In my subjective reality, I cannot share their addictions and I listen to Stevie Rae Vaughn. I'm sure many people share my tastes too. Who is right here? Nobody and everyone. Whether I'm right or wrong depends only on who I'm talking to, pop music lovers or Stevie lovers.

The only measure of truth in subjective reality is the effectiveness of a particular statement for a particular person. Whether the other person agrees with you or not depends on how similar your subjective experiences are.

And even that is sometimes not enough. It is sometimes easier for us to declare another person insane or an inventor than to push the boundaries of our own subjective reality.

Subjective reality is always a reflection of our view of the world. Our experience is driven by beliefs, and from this we proceed, making up an impression of the world. We have already said more than once that the world is what it seems to us. Thinking is a decisive factor in the process of perception. For example, the decision we make does not change the future directly. Our thoughts affect what is happening much more after the decision has been made.

3. Symbolic reality

This is the reality that we perceive when we dream. This refers not only to night dreams, but also day dreams, such as goals and aspirations. At the linguistic level, metaphors fall into this category. If something does not go the way you imagined it, just in this case it is worth moving from the objective or subjective level to the symbolic one. Scientists, by the way, have been successfully using this technique for a long time. For example, Sir Isaac Newton was hit on the head with an apple - and Eureka! - discovered the law of gravity. Chemist Friedrich August Kekul formed the molecular structure of benzene in a dream. He said that he dreamed of a carbon atom dancing with a water molecule. And next to them is a snake that bites its own tail. And if not for the dream, he might never have been able to find a solution to this problem.

We often played the same game at school. It consisted in guessing which of the classmates the player was thinking about. He could be asked questions like, "If the one you think of had a car, what would it be?" Or: "What kind of drink could this person be?" A few of these questions have always been enough to determine who they are talking about. I still remember a classmate who was guessed by a rather colorful set: a tractor - chamomile tea - lentil porridge. But what can you do? Now, by the way, he is a dentist ...

These games can be very fun and tell a lot about the symbols. It is always interesting to find out what others think of a particular person and compare their perception with your own. Here's another great game of symbolic reality.

...

* Game of symbols

• Sitting in a pleasant company in the evening, invite each of those present to choose an object from those in the room and take it in their hands.

• Then ask each person to describe themselves based on this subject. For example, I will describe myself through this book.

• “The book is thin, like me. It has many pages. Sometimes she's funny, and sometimes she makes you think. There are a lot of crazy thoughts and ideas in it. Several secrets are hidden in it - she reveals some, but keeps the rest with herself ... "

I can go on like this for a very long time. For me, talking about myself through a book, that is, a symbol, is not at all difficult. Note that in a different situation we would rather use the term "mental training", but here we are only talking about fantasizing in a pleasant environment. These fantasies can take any form. That is, what we are talking about here is nothing more than a change in symbolic reality, easily adapting to our desires.

You can use this phenomenon in many situations in life. For example, a sprinter stands at the start and tries to tune in to win. If he begins to remember his past successes, it will not help him. We literally move backward if we start to remember the past, and, conversely, lean forward slightly, envisioning the future. Therefore, the athlete needs to represent himself on the podium at the start. This will help him run forward faster, which, in fact, was needed.

4. Holistic reality

There are no boundaries - this is the basic rule of holistic reality. In this sense, it is the direct opposite of objective reality. At first, such a statement may seem meaningless. After all, we are constantly bumping into all sorts of obstacles. Our life is limited, just as the resources of the Earth in general and our bank account in particular are limited. Based on objective reality, all these statements are correct. But here we are talking about how to consider the reality around us in a new perspective.

After all, the world is what it seems to us. One has only to change the angle of view, as the boundaries disappear.

Look at the night sky, the distances stretching there, above, are endless: it seems that there are no boundaries and everything is one. In our thoughts, we can overcome any limitation.

For example, when it comes to relationships between people, it looks like this. Your child has achieved serious success, and you are proud of him, at this moment there is no border between you. The person dear to you is sad, and because of this you yourself are sad, which means that at this moment you are looking at the world from a holistic point of view. The same thing happens when you empathize with the characters in the movie. At the level of objective reality, such feelings are impossible. After all, the hero of the film is not even a real person and will never be near you.

In the same way, we can be related to objects. For example, you have been saving up for a new car for a long time. Filled with pride, you park it in the most prominent place in front of the cafe and go inside to indulge yourself with a cup of cappuccino. And then through the window you see a passer-by leaning on your car. At this moment, you will feel as if this person touched you, and not the car. At such moments, we are in a holistic reality. The same happens when a dancing couple in motion becomes one. Or when the rider merges with his horse.

In the world of our mind, there are only those boundaries that we ourselves erect. “Think what you want” in this light becomes not just an invitation, but a concrete opportunity. In our thoughts, we can do anything and be anyone. In an instant, we can be anywhere in the universe.

For example, I always go to New York, the Maldives or the south of France when I feel bad. No air travel, a second, and I'm already where I most want to be right now.

Of course, objectively, I have not moved anywhere, but on a symbolic and holistic level - quite. Now that you have realized that consciousness does not distinguish between the event that actually happened to us and the event that we just imagined, you will be able to realize the full power of this phenomenon.

As an author, lecturer and artist, I constantly maneuver between the four levels of reality and playfully master the world around me. Try and do the same, it will help you look at the world from different angles. Indeed, most often we cannot change the surrounding reality, but we can always change our attitude to it.

Thorsten Havener. "Friends, Rivals, Colleagues: Tools of Impact"