Distorted Reality

It's been a while and finally this is getting out of my head. J

I borrow this title from 'Steve Jobs' by Walter Isaacson, because Manipulation sounded RUDE L and I have already been sitting over this topic for months. It is making me restless.

Once my brother told me that as we grow up, we lose our innocence and start manipulating people to believe in our own ideals.

I have been thinking over this for quite sometime. Does it come with age or this is our natural instinct?

In our eco-system, many animals play dead or camouflage etc. (Zoology doesn't like me L). They are manipulating others to believe in their fake identity. I don't think they ever take classes for it. It comes naturally to them as part of their survival instinct.

After all we as well are social animals. Although our survival needs are different, but instinct is probably same.

Talk about innocence in Kids. Ummm?!!? They know how to get that toy/chocolate or get away with a mistake.

Take Excuses for example. I couldn't workout, no time. Yeah sure, you could watch TV for two hours though! I'm not cribbing about others, that's me and that's how it is. That's how we justify ourselves, and that's how we manipulate own consciousness.

It is like Steve Jobs Reality Distortion, where one wants everyone to see what he/she wants them to see and feel exactly same for his/her beliefs. 

As they say, longer you live with a lie, it becomes harder to know if that was really a lie or a new truth of your life. Like Inception, where Dream Hackers needed a spinning toy to know whether they are in a dream or in real life.

Our upbringing distorts reality to make us society-compatible. For one, eating Non-Vegetarian food is normal while one can't even bear the thought of it. Who is right? 

We have so many deep entwined beliefs. Whatever we don't understand - we tend to discard and reject those. Obviously, you can't risk your comfort, isn't it? And by nature, every change is uncomfortable. So it is always easier to manipulate self to believe in not changing.

I remember a part of a Hindi chapter by 'Vinoba Bhave'. Though I don't recall its name and what it was all about. But, one thing that stayed with me is - he wrote, 'As Human, it is in our nature to see negativity of others. God has made us that way and that's why our eyes are usually black / dark colored.' (Now don't ask me if it is applicable to light eyed as well, I don't know J) And, that's why we deliberately need to seek Goodness in others. It never comes naturally. 

Then I look at myself, and I can't decide. Deliberate attempt? Is that real me? Trying to be something which I'm not. Am I faking myself?

I think that's why we are intelligent of all species. We know how to distort reality to make life better and bigger.

Though It can be other way as well. Since we have lived longer with a belief of "Good prevails", I will go with the idea of getting better. 
(Now definition of Good totally depends on how your reality is distorted or molded.)

Being human J we manipulate, pretend and do more, consciously or unconsciously. 

Is that right or wrong? I can't say.

That's what we are; part of the World yet living in our own World.