Monday, January 07, 2008

Deconstruct Your Reality

Sometimes things get stuck in my head, and I just can't move on until I get them out somehow. This can be particularly interesting when it's for someone specific and it's three in the morning, but, in this case, this one is more of a general statement and one I kept thinking as I was driving. The thought was so persistent that I fished out a gas receipt from my purse and scribbled it down at 70 miles per hour. For everyone it might mean a little something different so I'll just write it and let you interpret it for your own life. It's a simple statement, yet remarkably profound.

"Deconstruct your reality, and live, really."

5 comments:

El Jefe Maximo said...

Hmmmm...I often have thoughts that I can't get out of my head and want to save for later. . . I would suggest using a Dictaphone (fits in the purse) rather than a gas receipt.

What do you drive ? I want to know so that when I see somebody ahead cruising down the road at 70 slewing from side to side writing on a gas receipt--I can know to take evasive action.

Seriously, if I'm interpreting your post correctly, I hate those three a.m. thoughts -- usually revolving around second-guessing something you did, or what someone else did. Sometimes it's easier to turn that stuff off than others. I had an old economics professor who put what I think you are saying more simply: "Bygones are bygones: what has happened in the past has no bearing on the best thing to do today."

I guess that should be true, but I think most of us get hung up in how, had yesterday only been different, today might be better. It wasn't, it isn't, and that can be a bummer, and it's hard to work beyond that.

Anonymous said...

Every time I get on Mopac I am surrounded by drivers deconstructing the reality of driving.

Well, with the help of google, I have concluded that you are dreaming of going Commie, becoming a Buddhist, shouldn't have had those deviled eggs so close to bed time or one of those self help infomercials came on whilst you were drifting off to sleepy land.

It was probably your kitty waking you again saying "Deconstruct cat food, hungry, really"

Candidly Caroline said...

Jefe: See, that's not at all what it means to me so I'm glad I didn't elaborate in the post.

I think we all have these worlds we create - how we see ourselves, how we see others, how others see us, how we operate in this situation or that. But, what is, really, our reality? Can we ever really know? Our reality can never be anyone else's reality so can it ever be a reality at all?

I take from this that we need to remove our "boxes," remove our preconceived notions of ourselves and others and the world ... and experience. -- What we've always thought was our reality may not be so at all.

Jefe and Anonymous: I was in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to hit but a breeze passing through distant farmhouses. Thankyouverymuch.

Anonymous: What on Earth? Commie, Buddhist? What is google up to now?

Candidly Caroline said...

As I think further about this:

It's telling us to take apart - deconstruct - the reality we have created for ourselves. Instead of trying to operate within that created reality, experience things as they really are.

Anonymous said...

OK, cat food, communism and wreckless driving aside, this is a deeep one.

I agree with your ideas CC.

Somehow one word keeps coming to mind instead of reality, "normal". I gave up on normal years ago. I sleep better now.
I'll leave normal up to God and destiny.

My initial reaction though was of how I handled a situation in any given "reality".
I think of how my friends will react when told of said real situation.

I want a positive reaction from them, and not the kind you get telling your story from a jail cell.

Finally I'll say the reality I have created for myself was done doing things I liked to do, felt good about doing, all surrounded by people I enjoyed being with. Reality is, I'm still alive!