The Reality Of Illusion

Is illusion a reality? What do I even mean by “the reality of illusion?” I am not sure, so this will be a walk of discovery for both of us.  Definitions of illusion includes concepts like “deception”, “fantasy”, “not real” or “to convey a false or misleading impression.” Reality on the other hand is defined a “the real thing” or “fact”,  “a state or quality of being real” or an “actual thing”.

So the reality of illusion in my mind must mean that behind the smoke and mirrors of illusion there must be a reality base of some sort? Does this further mean that within the illusion of a lie there may be some truth? I think this bears some investigation, some form of discovery, don’t you?

I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is ~ Alan W. Watts

Let’s say for example your loved one loses their job and doesn’t tell you about it. Wait! Perhaps they don’t tell you about it because they’ve already got job interviews lined up for the week ahead and they’ve already made the decision that finding their next employment will be their dream job. This is a case of reality of illusion. This is a truth within a lie. Would that not be okay with you?

Or here is another example: suppose, horror of horrors, you get a letter in the mail from the bank saying your home is being foreclosed on within 30 days. Do you immediately tell your partner or spouse, or do you go about the business of renting a new home or apartment and then tell your spouse? Ethical dilemma to be sure. Or would the reality of this illusion be that you don’t want to cause your spouse any extra stress, that you know this would add to them mentally?

Consider yourself wearing an outfit and, while it looks good on you, another outfit would be a better choice. Is that an illusion? Or is it a reality? When does opinion become one or the other? It is known that we do not experience “reality” in the same way. Can one person’s reality really be considered an illusion? And if so what do you do about it? An illusion can be considered magic as well, so how does that play into things?

Dream delivers us to dream, and there is no end to illusion. Life is like a train of moods like a string of beads, and, as we pass through them, they prove to be many-colored lenses which paint the world their own hue ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

At the end of the day an illusion appears to be the stuff dreams are made of, or at the very least what fantasies are made of. It’s always been said never be afraid to dream, right? Never be afraid to dream, to love, to think big. All this means is to not be afraid of your own illusions that perhaps dreams were made to become real. I think that many smart people who came before us, such as Amelia Earhart, would agree to that. Or Christopher Columbus. Or Helen Keller.  Or people today, like John Edward who followed his dream. Or Madonna.

The reality is, while we all love we may not all love the same. We all think but we don’t think the same. What is reality for one person, is an illusion for another. Never give up your “illusions” because your dreams die when you do. When you become so “disillusioned” with life, meaning you fail to see your path clearly or your dreams appear to have died on the vine, then remember that tomorrow another season will come. The sun and the clouds and the winds will rise once more, and your reality will be a beautiful illusion once again.