How do you measure reality? Truth, empiricism, fact, faith, belief, experience, education, experimentation... some or all of these concepts? Some other way entirely? Statistics? Kilograms? Bytes?

I only ask because when I interact with or observe other human beings they all seem to inhabit a different reality to me. I assume the problem is not localised in my perception, they seem to exist in a sense of ‘real’ unique to themselves... without exception. No two humans, no matter how similar, no matter how much they see eye to eye, share an identical sense of reality. There will always be a point of contention or debate somewhere in the relationship. I have seen recorded examples of this thought throughout the history of mankind. Therefore I don’t believe the problem lies in my mindset.

I am deeply worried, not by this fact, but by the vast number of people I meet or observe who make no attempt to find out what is real in their adult lives. I give you guys more credit than this, you at least are reading an alternative news source, trying to expand your own knowledge and allowing your own perception to evolve.

I don’t pretend to know what is real myself, I am constantly surprised by a new mindset or opinion or theory or investigation etc. I like to think of it as an education but I’m sure there are others who would see this as conceit.

However I don’t think it is healthy to have so many unquestioning, close-minded people in society (whatever that might be at the moment). To me, and no-one has to agree with me, I feel like we all grew up in Disneyland, only I, and a few people I run into, have realised that the mouse and the castle and the ice show aren’t real and it’s all just a localised artificial society/theme-park. Only we can’t seem to agree on who owns the theme-park, who runs the theme-park, who designs the rides, who built it in the first place, who decides the park rules or where that awful canned music is coming from etc. Lots of us think we could run the park better but we can’t agree how and some of us argue whether or not there might be other theme parks if we just climbed over the fence and ran off through the car park. Some people even try to live outside the theme park system altogether and some think it will help if we smash the rides.

But that’s just the people who know it’s not real and we seem to be vastly outnumbered by people who buy into the whole park and its various themes. They believe it’s real...even when you point at the gates or through the chain link fence they see nothing and usually get quite upset. Some even call the park staff and complain that you don’t believe in Mickey or that you were saying things about Donald or that you have gone nuts and need to be taken to snow white’s enchanted psychiatric ward. They buy into the whole show, the mouse money, theme park TV; they can name all seven dwarves and have three minutes silence once a year in memory of bambi’s mum (sedatives in the soda?). How can they exist like that? By what mechanism does the natural inquisitive human psyche become neutered?

Take Kanye West for instance. I don’t know if you saw him on that hurricane telethon at the weekend. He honestly looked like a hurt, confused, huffy child who had just found out that Bing Crosby wasn’t his real daddy. “President Bush doesn’t care about black people” he said abruptly. I felt like giving him a hug, awwww poor Kanye, did you just work that out? There, there. Please no one tell him about Santa or God... you might ruin Christmas for him as well.
The sad thing is he took his recent sharp wake up call personally. Dear Kanye, I assure you there are millions of white people that Bush doesn’t care about either, why polarise the issue into race? It’s not even Bush’s fault, yes I know it’s very unfashionable to say so but it’s true.
Surely, Kanye my new friend, blaming Bush for the racist/class divide in America and their now seriously psychotic addiction to all things military is as an unreal an absurdity as believing you are a wealthy rap superstar. It’s like blaming the guy dancing around in the mouse costume because blacks aren’t allowed on Space Mountain.


RIP The War On Terror 2001-2005