Amazing Today, Life Adventures, Philosophy

Sharing the Same Experience – Part Three

“The plant by the door looks a little sad today. I don’t know what’s wrong with it.” My wife, Carmen, solemnly says.

I walk toward the plant. “So you’re saying this plant looks a little droopy?”
Carmen glares at me irritably, “Why do you always repeat what other people say in different words? Is it because you don’t understand anything?”

I wasn’t prepared for confrontation and returned to my delicious coffee next to the cushy chair. The morning sun shone brightly through the east-facing windows.

The fact is, I did understand what my wife said. What I could not understand, however, was how could any plant that so gloriously reflected the sun rays appear sad to someone else? I turned again to sharply focus on the handsome green fern. The leaves were vibrant and upturned, and seemed to bask in the glow of the morning light.

“I rotated it a few minutes ago. Maybe it needs more water,” my wife continued.

I did notice the stalks were now slanted away from the light. I do feel houseplants enjoy being turned on occasion to catch equal rays all around. “It looks beautiful to me,” I stated.

“That’s because everything is beautiful to you, Mr. Watson.”

She was right. And perhaps this was just another lesson how the universe, and everything in it, is simply the sum of our feelings. When we feel beautiful, everything is beautiful. When we feel gloomy, everything is gloomy. The lesson learned is that we create our own reality.

“Reality is not given to you- it is made by you. The world you see around you right now is not a set construct. It’s not a pre-defined experience for all humans to perceive in the same way and interact with similarly. The reality you see is a product of your own perceptions, how you’ve processed the world, and the sense you have made of it.” -Nicky Sutton.

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