Man between the real and fantasy
Always imagination wins over reality. Fantasy surpasses the real. The reason is simple. People are fed up with the ‘truth & real’ and are always looks for fantasy, the unreal and unproven things. Often they live in the world of imagination. Whenever something is proven then it becomes real and true. Once something becomes true and real, nothing more is there to prove or validate or establish and hence it loses the charm and sheen. Most people think that they have little scope to work with real.
On the other hand, whenever something appears unreal, imaginative and unproven, and that remains difficult to prove, naturally people show flair and keen interest towards such belief system. The curiosity of people stays and sustains as long as it remains difficult to establish. Once it is proved to be either real or unreal, it gets rejected or become part of ‘our real life’.
The most striking fact is that the things that cannot be proved or established will continue to have some validity, relevance and use because no one knows anything about it.
The best example is faith in God. The existence of God cannot be established. People who claim to have seen could not prove the truth that they have encountered to others. If someone questions about such truth, the person who has seen God would turn wild than godly. The existence of God cannot be either disproved or proved through some experiment. Therefore the validity, use and relevance of God will continue to remain in our society irrespective of whether the rewards/results offered by such faith shall remain imaginary than real.
All human needs can be placed under two levels viz., at body level and at the mind level.
People largely relate and believe only proven things to meet ‘body needs’ because fictitious stuff does not have any meaning or value for our ‘body needs’. Whereas the mind never wants proven things but always longs for unproven and impossible to prove concepts/belief systems. Only then the mind can continuously work on such concepts/belief systems.
Many people put unrealistic limitations on their ‘body needs’ and realistic concepts to deal mind. When they employ such wrong tools, neither the mind nor the body will be in a state of rest or in equilibrium. They follow strict diet system barring the real needs of the body, do exercise beyond the threshold of the body and would counsel the mind to accept and settle for what is available.
One should never offer proven, real and realistic concepts to mind to settle. Similarly, one should never give unrealistic limitations to the body. Such approach would only cause disharmony and sufferings.
At mind level, one has to be impractical and at body level, one has to be practical. But unfortunately, most people become practical with mind and impractical with the body. Our thoughts have to be creative & imaginative and should not have any restrictions or limitations, whereas our body needs practical approaches and realistic recipe. The imbalance in our approach only causes all problems and sorrow.
People believe in God and or Satan and interestingly continue to believe so because either of them can be proved. So our mind continues to question, reject or accepts it. If God or Satan suddenly appear before man, instead of knowing it as either God or Satan, man develop fear, suspicion, disbelief or dislike than likes and beliefs to know it further.
It is not about having wisdom but only the wise adjustment of ‘mind and matter’ makes one really wise.
Dr S Ranganathan