Reality exists. It has a definite shape. We can not change it. We can affect the world around us to the extent that reality allows us but we can not break through the walls that reality sets as unbreakable.
Many people will spend their lives fighting with reality. They will want things that they can't have, they will refuse truths that they don't like and they will base their actions on an imagined reality that only exists in their mind.
Some days the world seems horrible, life seems hopeless, people seem miserable and selfish, but the lense shaping those ideas are just my own mood. Maybe I am coming down with a flu, or maybe I am frustrated or disappointed. Other days it will seem like the world is a great place full of opportunity and people are helpful and loving. But nothing has changed, the world is still the world, the only thing that has changed is my perception of it.
Are feelings reality? They are in the sense that they exist and shouldn't be ignored. If I feel sad or happy, I should be aware of my state. But, they aren't in the sense that they don't accurately convey the world around me. They lie about the world and constantly shift. They don't act as a trustworthy guide on how to interpret the world. If tomorrow I fall madly in love with a heroin addict, I need to be honest about the chances of a healthy and long term relationship instead of letting my feelings be my guide.
Your experience is a part of reality. Some say that you can overcome the constraints of your self by completely ignoring your experience. Hungry? ignore it. Tired? stay up and keep working. But we have to be aware of our state. Our experience has a lot of influence over us. The bible talks about avoiding temptation because there are limits to self control. When we pursue goals, our internal state should be taken into account.
The idea that your experience is insignificant can also be used to justify slavery, or overworking. If only what you do matters, and not what you feel, then you will need some external force to push you into accomplishing something regardless of how you feel. I disagree with this and think that working yourself to death for a goal is ignoring an important aspect of reality, mainly your internal state.
Your experience is not the entirety of your reality. Some say that your experience is everything and that anything outside of what you experience doesn't exist, at least to you. To me this seems like an excuse to do whatever you want while ignoring the consequences. If it feels good do it. It at least sums up the motivation of a selfish person, to them, their experience is everything, but only because they have decided to treat it so. Your experience is a small part of reality, it should be accounted for but in the context of the wider reality around you.
Because we can over-rely on our own experience, it is usually useful to get a second opinion or to ask advice from people outside of our current situation. Fresh eyes can help remove the bias of our own perceptions and to help us view a situation from the outside.
We all have perceptions of reality in our minds but eventually we encounter the true reality. We bump into the walls and see what actually is. Abrupt confrontations with reality often take the form of consequences. People wish they could do whatever they want and not suffer any repercussions. Unfortunetely consequences show up eventually. People pursue goals while neglecting other areas of their lives, relationships, income, etc. The delayed reaction of consequences can sometimes entrap people into making progressively bad decisions. Getting away with something temporarily can hide the edge of reality until they overstep a certain line. Criminals who get away with many small crimes will usually be tempted into larger crimes which they eventually get caught for. Having early encounters with a society's legal system can help a person avoid worse consequences down the road.
The unchangeable nature of reality should not stop us from pushing forward. We can not create our own realities, but we can accomplish wonderful things within the context provided for us. We can stretch our limits and find nuggets of gold hidden in the world around us. Some things that appear impossible are possible and some things that appear possible are impossible.
Many of the limits that hold us back are internal, fear, greed, selfishness. Jesus told a rich man to sell all he had and follow Him. The man refused as he could not imagine giving up his wealth. I picture Jesus as an all seeing and all wise counsellor who understands the world by viewing it from the other side. The view we will all have when we die and watch our lives from the other side, from the context of full understanding, where we can't hide from reality in delusions. Jesus saw with perfect clarity that this man would have a better life if he was freed from his wealth. Maybe he would have done wonderful things but instead sat smothered and weighed down with wordly goods, surrounded by insincere people who only craved his wealth. I believe that man understands that he passed up a great opportunity as he watches his life from the other side. Money can act as a blinder to the truth.
I believe in Jesus and I believe that science is a vehicle He has provided for us to discover the world. It was the Pharisees (Religious hypocrites) who killed Jesus (The truth). There are many truths that the world is struggling with. We are all in the valley of decision and how the future plays out depends on our choices.
Accepting reality can mean accepting our limits. An important lesson from Mount Everest is that it is important to know when to give up on a goal. Many die because they don't turn back in time as they try to reach the summit. Accepting reality can set us free from impossible tasks and unrealistic goals. Maybe there is no future at a current job, or an endeaver is destroying your life and needs to be abandoned.
Accepting reality can also mean seeing new opportunities that once seemed impossible, overcoming fears and obstacles, learning to be social without drugs or alcohol, pursuing a role that once seemed out of reach, etc.
People are searching for meaning in life. The search for meaning is based on the idea that life should be about something. I believe that meaning exists and isn't simply generated by our minds to make life liveable. Meaning is something that you would enjoy seeing yourself do from the other side. When you watch your life from the other side with full understanding of life and creation, what would you like to see yourself do? Give up the job that clearly hurts others? Pursue the goals that are unrewarding but make a clear impact on the world around you? Overcome your fears? But the world is trying to define meaning as a way to control your actions. 'Sacrifice your life for our goals'. We should break through the walls that the world is creating. The world being the organized institutions that have been built around the corrupted parts of human nature, greed, lust, selfishness, institutionalized courruption.
Life is about accepting what walls can't be broken and being brave and selfless enough to break down the walls that can. There are possibilities that exist in reality that we are missing. There are many agendas on many sides that are trying to paint a picture of reality, they want you to fight their war for them. These lies are coming from both sides in the current political landscape and both sides are distorting the true nature of the world around us.
Its easier to pretend the world is a certain way than to make it so. We can pretend we are cyborgs, or advanced or moral, but what we are is governed by reality. What we can become is also governed by reality. Many people attempt to alter their reality by altering their perception. Pretending it is something drastically different. But delusions can't provide meaning, maybe in the short term they can provide a temporary feeling but eventually the illusion breaks and reality with its consequences hits hard. Drugs also change our perception of reality, but they cannot remove the difficulties that we all must overcome.
Ultamately I believe that a close relationship with Jesus is the most effective way to navigate the hidden realities of our world. There are many things that science is a long way from explaining. Also, without a pure heart, it is impossible for us to interpret the data and to act accordingly. I believe that God can save us from the sins that lead us into blindness. He can also open our eyes to the truth of the bible which sheds light on the world around us.
Reality has a shape, it exists and we will bump into it throughout our lives. Sometimes those encounters will be brutal but if we accept it for what it is then we can navigate the hidden maze successfully. I pray for God to deliver us from delusions and to guide us into the truth, spiritual and physical.