There are entire universes in each of us. Our minds are an entirely self-sustaining environment just like a terrarium. Things can get in and they can get out, but they are also a world unto themselves busily going on with the every moment process of living and being and becoming. This doesn’t mean they are straight forward at all. In fact it’s pretty twisted and wild in there. Thoughts happen, then other thoughts contradict the first, then a memory gets over written while another one gets adjusted to fit into a theory or a narrative. An experience gets added which changes everything and in the meantime there is this filter and that one that lays over the raw data changing it so that it fits what we need it to. Most of this we don’t even realize is happening, it’s just the quantum physics of how our mind works.
However, because it’s the universe we live in we not only take it for granted, but we perceive the world outside us as obeying these same rules, having these same processes, and using the same filters. Which means that all the people around us should be too. Yet they don’t. Their universe may have completely different rules or may have some that are so similar that it takes us off guard when something is different since we didn’t see it coming. And all of those universes wandering around have various connections to what is actually happening outside them. This can be hilarious, frustrating, or significantly problematic depending on the situation. If the processes are hiding in our heads, how can we figure out what the problem is and how to fix it?
Well, getting it out of or head can be a start. Writing down our perceptions for a day or a week can point out where we’re being judgemental, filtering things, or ignoring certain events. Making videos or sketches about things can bring out hidden perspectives or give us new insights. If we can get it out of our head and into the world then by definition it is no longer hidden. Once it is conscious we have the ability to make choices about it. We can keep it, change it, or get rid of it making room for something new.
