Life is an illusion

All of life is a grand illusion. When we die, we take off our coat which comprises our physical appearance, personality, titles, sex, race, religion, social status and more. As well as our thoughts and emotions. All that’s left – all we truly are – is awareness. 

As an analogy, consider the experience of watching a movie; As the story unfolds, you find yourself immersed. You may be drawn in by the vivid imagery, sound and visual cues, or perhaps the dialogue and narrative that captures your interest. You experience the same emotions and sensations portrayed on screen as if they were happening to you personally. You may notice the visceral sensations within our body, such as the quickening of your heartbeat, the rush of adrenaline, or the tightening of your muscles and a gasp! as you experience emotions like rage, fear, jealousy, love, passion, adventure and more. It captivates our attention, seductively drawing us into its world and holding us there for the duration. To our brain, it feels real. And yet it’s not real.

When it’s over, we turn our attention back to ‘this reality’ and realize, ‘It’s over.’ It was ‘just’ a movie. You may be left with some residual memories and feelings, which you connect with again when you recount to a friend at work the next day what happened in the movie, etc.* 

But we needn’t worry about its effects on our lives in ‘this reality.’ This illusion, though vivid and compelling, is ultimately ‘not real.’ ‘The movie’ serves as a metaphor for ‘our lives as human beings on this planet at this particular time’ from ‘our soul’s’ perspective. At the end of our physical life, the screen goes off, and we no longer feel the weight of the issues that once consumed us while we were alive. Yet, we may still carry with us some residual memories that had significance during this existence. Here is a thought provoking ‘short’ with Elon Musk which discusses the possibility of reality as we know it as being a simulation – view here.

If we can entertain the possibility that life is ‘an illusion’ then the question becomes, “What for?” please leave your thoughts and comments below.