The World in Your Head

You don't live on Earth. You don't live in a country. You live in yourself.

Here's my theory: Your life is all based on both sound and distorted perceptions.

I've had a cold for the past few days. Last night, as I tried to sleep, I experienced a lucid dream that lasted for what seemed like ten hours. I writhed in bed while my imagination went wild, dreaming that there were tiny germ fighting construction workers living inside my body, trying to eliminate the flu-ish threat that was weakening my bones.

I abstained from checking the time, thinking that the sun would come up soon. When I finally checked my clock, I found that it's only been one hour.

I don't typically mind when this type of thing happens because it's generally really interesting. Of course, my annual flu in Florida last February was less interesting because I was bedridden for almost two weeks and that time really did feel like an eternity.

That aside, I'm fascinated with the fact that our lives take place in our mindsets relative to what's happening around us. Have you ever played a video game for hours on end, not realizing that hours have gone by? If you haven't experienced this, don't play The Sims.

Digital Cocaine

Or maybe you've recently watched a two and a half hour movie that felt more like five hours because it contained so many sub-plots.

Whatever the case, time is perceived differently by everyone. Not only time, but thoughts and emotions. When you're having a bad day, you might undergo extreme selective attention, meaning you'll only notice a percentage of your surroundings. You'll hear and see only the things that make you feel good (or bad-- blame your subconscious for that).

Wait... This car is from EUROPE!

My point is that life is as subjective as it is objective. That's what makes our lives so dynamic. We're not simply amalgamations of skin and bones. It's our thoughts, our ever changing minds that make our existences so valuable.

Keep on,

-Philip