Reality defines generations, makes us who we are; yet reality is abstract, as no one reality can ever prove to be the "real reality." Reality is also ever changing and ever elusive. It is never the same thing to different people at any time or the same thing to the same people at different times. Experiences that we face mold and change our perception of the world around us in ways that we cannot possibly imagine. Reality is not the notion of an overarching principle by which all life is defined but rather it is the macrocosmic concept we use to describe the compilations of all our microcosmic experiences, desires, and aspirations. It is how we see the world.
Of course, the world is not a perfect place; because of this reality becomes less simple. In the "real" world, reality is subject to interpretation by the body in control. It is this interpretation that is then forced upon the masses as a means of control. In this way, reality can be altered through the use of propaganda and lies. One is then owned by the ideals that they believe they themselves had created. When reality is manufactured by the state (or a dictator equivalent) and thrust upon the masses, the (desired) result is complacency with the status quo.
It is commonly said that "hindsight is 20-20". However, I find this to be untrue. Rather, I believe that hindsight is a refraction of the past through the lens of the present. Because reality is a present tense notion and the human mind cannot retain all of which it comprehends, our vision of what the past was is foggy at best and many times skewed by the ideals of others. Because perception of past realities is foggy, one is able to some extent to alter the past perception of reality of another.
Human nature dictates that man desires to return everything to a state of homeostasis. When disaster occurs, man seeks to find the quickest way to return his or her realities to a state of neutrality. Because of this, new realities overtake the memories of old ones. The worse the cataclysm the deeper one will respect the new reality even at the expense of personal freedoms (i.e. Hitler's rise to power, the Patriot Act). In a time of danger, man is quick to act to revert reality back to the way that they believe it once was, even at the expense of personal freedom. In many respects this also sums up the desires of conservatives worldwide. They desire to return their realities to a previous (seemingly more desirable) state.
This course of action is, however, faulty. Of course, there has yet to be a perfect way to control people (except perhaps 1984's Thought Police). I believe that, even as one may not remember their original reality, they wish its freedoms back as melancholy sets in after the reintroduction of monotony by an oppressive regime.
What makes Americans afraid to open their mail or to fly? What made some of us rush out and buy duct tape and rolls of plastic to wrap around their houses before the chemical attacks began? (Think about how stupid that sounds now anyways). It was all done out of fear, fear of some enemy in a far away, mysterious place that few had ever been, populated with people that few ever had the opportunity to get to know, and let us not forget the all-famed weapons of mass destruction. Someone decided that they wanted our support for a war that was not only unnecessary but also based on a complete lie, and fear made (many of) us believe in this cause.
Our perception of reality was changed after September 11th 2001. The new reality was one of fear. People stopped flying, stopped going to malls for fear of a bombing (I don��t even want to try to comprehend why), mail became a threat, and all links to the world abroad were subject to scrutiny. The word Muslim became synonymous with (a completely different word) terrorism. The French, oh God the French. They sold weapons to the terrorist groups years ago, but do not worry, so did we. But they're still jerks nonetheless. (Freedom fries, oh for God's sake). This is the world that many of us live in today. This is the reality that was made for us, though it is our choice whether or not to accept it.
Hopefully, some of us will be able to make a stand against fear, and history says that some will. There are those who have come along to challenge our perception of reality, and more than likely some still are today, be them governmental, or television, music, or movie related.
Those who have power and use it to supplement their own lives tread heavily on the rights and freedoms of their subordinates. Through the manipulation of ones perceived reality, they are able to make people believe virtually anything that they want them to believe. Sometimes this is done out of necessity, other times it is done to control people. One of the easiest ways to restore order is to remove freedoms from the masses especially in the wake of a disaster of epic proportions.
All that being said, it is clear to me that reality is only that which it is made, either by the person themselves or by their leader. For better or worse, this is a commonality in society, because man desires to remain in a state of complacency and will do surprisingly much to get there. Disaster brings out the worst in our leaders, especially when their intentions are not for the overall good but just for their own desire for complacency.
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