Do we have any power over the way we perceive the world around us? Is that perception a static thing, a product of what is outside of ourselves, or can we influence or change that perception through the power of our thinking?
These days, when I close my eyes I am more aware that the thoughts I have about the world are my thoughts. They are images in my head. They aren’t external reality, though they strongly influence how I experience external reality. And I may not instantly be able to control all of thoughts, but I can influence them. Ultimately I have power over them. Does this mean I have power over the reality I experience?
Let’s try a thought experiment. Picture yourself out in the street. Now, take in the details on the street. Are there cars coming? Or is it a quiet street, with parked cars perhaps? Is it morning, or evening? Is it warm out or cool? Is there are breeze blowing? Are there lots of trees, or is it more of a concrete jungle? Now picture a giant no. 2 pencil the size of an elm tree sprout out of the ground like the giant’s beanstalk and point straight up sixty feet into the sky. Is this ridiculous? Maybe. But you can picture it, can’t you? It’s in your imagination! While we’re at it, look down at the concrete on the street. Could you turn the road into a yellow brick road that leads, perhaps, to Oz?
Why couldn’t you?
It’s amazing how limitless our imaginations are. However, I think mostly people just keep thinking the same thoughts they’ve been programmed to think, spewing the same exact renditions of life they’ve gotten in the habit of seeing, even if it doesn’t make them happy. I did this myself for a long time.
Back to the street. You are standing in the middle of the road. Do you have the complete right of way? Can you walk wherever you want without concern? I started noticing awhile ago when I pictured this I felt worried as if I was actually on a real street. I worried about getting a ticket for jay-walking or getting hit by cars.
But there are no jay-walking tickets in your imagination, unless you imagine them! Can you see how silly it is? If it’s in your head, it’s your imagination. You create the rules. Being concerned about rules is how I was programmed to think about “reality.” After all, that’s just “real life, ” right? And so, when I closed my eyes at night, the images I had of the outside world reflected the world of laws and controls and concerns that I’d become conditioned to think of.
But since it’s my imagination, why should it be limited to the same “reality” I experience outside? So I started walking in the middle of the street. If it was a busy street, I would just imagine the cars passing through me, not bothering me (or me them). Or I would just move them aside, like a superhero in a movie. It was a challenge at first. In my imagination, there was such a pull to “follow the law.”
But then, it’s just my imagination, isn’t it? Who makes the laws in my imagination?
It’s a funny concept. And it shows how powerful the imagination could be. Try it yourself. I think this is a key to thinking different, to gaining a new perspective. If you have a picture of things that is challenging, disempowering, or just plain unappealing, you can change it.
You don’t need to keep the same old perspective that doesn’t bring happiness.
You could use your imagination to bring more life, color, freedom, and happiness to your imagined world. Is it not possible this could affect the “reality” around you?