Using Filters to Redesign your Reality
Your reality is subjective.
My reality is subjective. There is an objective reality, but it’s not something we’re able to access. We are instead forced to view the world through filters. Filters are how one interprets events and how they relate it to their lives. This internal representation of reality differs from person to person depending on their filter they choose to apply. You are able to change how you view the world - and you can do so to your advantage.
Some filters on reality are more ‘accurate’ than others. They’ll help you become more successful and happy. The great thing about them is that you can have completely opposite filters of how you think the world works compared to your neighbour, but still operate in the world just fine. It just may be that when you come to try to solve some problems in your life, some filters will be better suited than others.
You may be asking, “why can’t I just use the reality filter and see everything as it is?” Well, reality is far more complex than we can ever hope to comprehend. There’s too much of reality to take in at one time and our brains are forced to remove information coming in because there’s so much of it. Think of these physical sensations that are occurring to you right now: breathing, the tongue in your mouth, the underwear you’re wearing, the physical shape of your hands, the temperature of your chest. You only notice these sensations once you divert your attention to them. Otherwise your brain cancels them out because it has more important things to focus on. It’s the same with viewing reality, we can’t view the world as is because there’s so much of it, so we use filters to help cut back this information. We have no choice.
One of the many filters that can help build success is the view that you are in complete control of your future. Compare this with someone who feels they have no say in how their life turns out. The reality is somewhere in between, you can’t control everything, but you can control some of it. The person who believes that they have full control of their reality is more likely to act that way. They’re more likely to try new things in order to try succeed and they will blame their failures on themselves which can lead to self improvement. Compare this to the other person who believe they have no power in deciding how their life ends up. They will feel dejected and demotivated when something doesn’t go their way. In their mind, it’s not that they weren’t trying hard enough, it’s that someone or something else is preventing them from succeeding. This can lead to a cascading effect where they don’t try as hard as they could, resulting in more failure - “what’s the point when someone else will prevent me from succeeding?”
This is the Victim vs the Victor mentality. Both these filters are not accurate views of reality. But one is more likely to lead to success. One should note that it is not always the case that the most accurate filters are the ones that produce the most happiness. Sometimes it may be worth viewing the world through an incorrect filter which will create more success and happiness than one that is more truthful.
Having certain filters can enhance or damage your perception of your life. I choose to have more positive and optimistic ones. My main filter that I use when viewing events is what I call the entertainment filter. I want to find the joy or the funny in every situation. Sometimes it’s hard. Other times it helps to just laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Think of Trump. Forget his policies and scandals etc, strip all the politics away from him and just accept how HILARIOUS this man is. Coming from reality TV shows, funny hair, fake tan, the way he talks, his hand movements - everything. It’s why I love him. He’s so entertaining. He doesn’t know how to be boring. Compare it with Biden and the difference is stark. Trump made the news interesting while simultaneously exposing it. Every day he did something different which would make me laugh. Most of the time it was usually due to the absurd nature of it. And it helps to laugh at that.
Now there is of course the caveat. I do view everything through the entertainment filter, but it’s not the ONLY filter I have. So if a tragedy occurs, yes, a joke or two may eventually spring to mind but not immediately so. I can take in the gravitas of the situation without resorting to trying to entertain myself. No doubt, if I sincerely believed Trump was setting up concentration camps, planning on starting World War III and was moments away from becoming a draconian dictator of America - as people some believe - then I would not find him funny.
Life is fun and I try to find the joy in every situation. Optimism is key to living a happy life. You only have a limited time here and I’m determined to seek out the positive rather than the negative.
What’s your filter?