My Attempted Understanding of Reality

I created this post as a way to explore how I view reality. Sometimes I question the very things I experience—not because I doubt their existence, but because I am curious about why they are the way they are. Why is my perception of something the way it is? This curiosity opened my mind to different possibilities I could experience.

In seeking to understand this, I was fortunate to discover a book by Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy). I listened to it on YouTube, and while I did not internalize everything, there were key points I would like to share and dissect here. I will not quote the book directly but will paraphrase what I understood as its main ideas.

I have become increasingly curious about reality and my understanding of it. Often, I find myself contemplating my experiences, questioning their meaning and truth. My lack of understanding creates a sense of doubt, prompting me to step back and reflect.

My interest in philosophy stems from my desire to understand life. I consistently ponder how philosophy can answer my questions. I question everyday things because I dislike accepting them without explanation or thought. My sense of purpose fades when I deliberately mask the truth with comfort. It feels as though I am preventing myself from knowing the depths of a subject or topic.

Referring to Russell’s book, there was a specific example considering the characteristics of something existing within reality and the observations made by the observer. If we consider a table in a living room, its physical characteristics remain regardless of my presence. The table’s static position remains constant, independent of my observations. We are considering the interplay between conscious observations made by the observer and the inherent qualities of the table.

This frame of thinking guides my daily life as I try to test my assumptions. I cannot imagine living in ignorance rather than truth. This mode of thinking requires deep reflection and a high level of awareness. To me, becoming more aware of your environment and sense of reality contributes to your consciousness. I could be given the illusion that the more I think and the more aware I am, the more conscious I become. But perhaps it is not really such a thing. Maybe by looking at the core of consciousness, I try to understand that reality exists within the conscious stream of my mind.

The more control I have over my thinking, to the extent of such deep analysis, the more reality seems to exist there. There appears to be a correspondence between what I think and what I perceive. Returning to the earlier example, the observations I make of the world are independent and do not affect the inherent characteristics of what the world holds. Something being constant, to me, when trying to understand reality, means there are objective qualities that define that very thing. Whether I am in its presence or not, it will never contradict itself. For me to see that the qualities of the world, in a very broad sense, are consistent, is to see truth.

I want to emphasize that this post is not claiming any absolute truths or facts. It is simply my exploration of reality and consciousness, an attempt to understand what is really at play in our existence. These are my thoughts and interpretations, shaped by my experiences and the philosophical ideas I have encountered. I am on a journey of discovery, and I am aware that my understanding may evolve or change entirely as I learn more.

I would love to hear from others about their perspectives on these topics.