What is Real?

maybe the bad things are there to balance out the good things to stop you in realizeing its all fake that also works for the way it was explained to me ar they real when you cant see them you know the bills tickets and lipstick are real because they are infront of you but when you leave the room are they real? you come back into the room there still there but did they exsist when you were not in the room

"because the of the reminders you get for your unpaid bills,the tickets you are given at the parking,the peaceful nights after the the miserable midnight howling dog of your neighbor is run over by a truck,and the lipstick marks on your face this morning." All of these things happen in dreams as well, no? But, then dreams are real aren't they? After all dreams exist, right, and if they exist then they are real? Of course lies exist right? Things that are fake exist. So what does it mean for something to be real? This also comes to the question of: Everything that exists is made of something, right? If everything that exists is made of some substance, then what's the substance of dreams?

i 100% agree whatever u said there is nothing to say left

thanks. lol.

I think what is real is more of a matter of interpretation of our awareness. It is not actually if something is or is not real, but if our interpretation of what we know and are aware is what we actually think it is. In all of your previous examples, you have given counter examples relating to if our interpretation is real or not: 1. When you wake up in the morning, how do you know you are not still dream? This is refering to if our interpretation is correct (or incorrect. 2. Maybe we are all images in the dream of some other being. Once again, this is refering to if our interpreations of what we know and are aware is correct. 3. Maybe this is like the Matrix and we are all jacked up in simulated reality. Again, what if our interpretation of all this is incorect? 4. Perhaps we are a holo deck program on Star Trek that was designed to think it is aware of itself. Again, this is refering to if our interpretations is what actually is. So bascially, what if what we know and think is not really the way things are? So 'real' means if our intepretations are correct. 'Existence' or 'exist' is something that is different. What They All Have in Common is that you are aware of something, but it can have a different perception. How do we know it is real? How do we know it (our awareness) is what we think it (our interpretation) is? Many times we certainly are deceived, in dreams for example, when we think we are NOT dreaming in which we really are. We think we are alive in the real world but in reality we are somewhere else. Yet, what is the reason of this? The reason why we are decieved in anything is because we ASSUME. In dreams, we assume we are awake (in which we are not), in the past we assumed the earth was flat (in which it was not), we onced assumed that an atom was smallest particle (in which it is not). There are many things we assume in which we do not have evidence for. Therefore, the key to know what is real or not is to not assume anything without evidence. 1. What do I assume? 2. What evidence do I have for it? If you don't have an evidence for what you are assuming, then obviously, it's a possibly your interpretation of what you're aware isn't real.

Are you sure that self awareness is proof enough that you are real? If so why does this make a difference? What if awareness itself is an illusion? Perhaps we are a holodeck program on Star Trek that was designed to think that it is aware of itself. If it is possible for the world around me to be false then why does inverting my awareness in on me make the difference? Are you saying that if I focus my awareness out on reality then that world can be illusion, but when I focus my awareness in on myself that I can't be an illusion as well? It seems you are assuming that there is something that is aware and thus it must be real. How do you know that what is aware is real? Is awareness such that it could not also be an illusion? If so then why? This still doesn't solve that problem of what is reality. In all of this we do indeed exist. Somehow some way, we are. Yet what if we are not at the same time? It again comes down to the language we use, is it capable of explaining the true nature of...."it", what ever "it" is? In our language we have this duality between real and not real, truth and false hood, and we perceive the world that way as well. How do we know that world is really even dual in nature?

"Therefore, the key to know what is real or not is to not assume anything without evidence. 1. What do I assume? 2. What evidence do I have for it? If you don't have an evidence for what you are assuming, then obviously, it's a possibly your interpretation of what you're aware isn't real." Yet, if you have no assumptions or beliefs, then what would qualify as proof that the world is real? Even without assumptions how do you know for certain?

Why do we need a higher being to tell us what is real or not?

Why is it so stange?

2+2=4 is not a convention that is made up... it is a truth that has been discovered. The symbols themselves are conventions, because 2 could just as easily be J and 4 could be I, and J+J=I or whatever. Hope that makes sense.

2+2=4 but One half plus one half also equals four. This is because one half of something to me maybe two of something to you. i.e. half of dollar is two quarters. I see one half of a dollar you see two quarters. We are both right and we are both wrong. The cup is neither half full or half empty, but maybe the cup is too small or two big. lol. My interest is more in whether or not those numbers are have substance that is more than just a fleeting illusion maintained by something that keeps me in the dark to the truth. Whatever the truth maybe that is. After all maybe number is an illusion, maybe quantity does not exist and all is one. After all even in our dualistic state of perception we can not escape the fact that everything touches everything else. Nothing is ever separate, variations of the initial condition of a dynamic system may produce other variations in the long term behavior of the system. i.e. the butterfly effect.

Yes, how do we know whether we are dreaming or not?

No, I'm not so sure of that. Perhaps it is not real, also what you say could imply that what we can not see and touch is not real. So radio waves are not real, the signal a Wifi connection uses is not real, and what about all those light spectrums we are not aware of? All the sounds that we can not hear, are these also not real?

Why is that my friend?

You mean electric signals interpreted by the brain? That type of thing. We never really see reality we can only see what our brain translates for us. What ever the case if this is true how can we come to an experiential understanding of this truth?

Are you sure that there is not a reality beyond each individuals perception? i.e. an objective reality.

Right, okay, thank you for your participation.

I can see that you are having trouble defining it. Think about it and call us in the morning. :)

I am happy that you have found the best path for you. Thank you for replying.

Still too simplistic, why do so many people assume that pinching yourself actually works?! Dream analysis is a good suggestion though.

I want the joy of seeking out the truth. I never out grew my child like curiosity.

How does the logic someone uses determine the nature of their reality? And, yes I have heard of the concept of maya (illusion), it is a bit more complicated than that though.

How do you know that living in reality is ultimate happiness are you experiencing reality? If you are do you have ultimate happiness, if so what is reality like?

No not really because using people as an example, though you do not realize it you are indeed still dreaming when you wake up. So if we are all apart of some beings dream we would not cease to exist when that being wakes, we would simply become a part of that being subconscious until he goes back to sleep again. This could be the real reason why we have day and night. Night is when we enter the creatures sub consciousness or visa versa. And, if this is the matrix we would not know who created it unless we sought out the boundaries of the reality. Which is maybe exactly what we should be doing to there by prove or disprove its validity? After all everything has a beginning and an end, why have we not tried to find the boundaries of reality? But, forgive me this is exactly what many in the hippy movement believed they were doing. Must give credit were credit is due.

Interesting idea, were did you get it, and how do you know for certain?