Anne’s July Update and Musings – Unreal “Reality”
- annep3704
- Jul 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 12
While I was doing research for my next book, my editor pointed me to an amazing software: Unreal Engine. It is a collection of developer tools for building 3D games, simulations and visualizations. I have to say, I was absolutely stunned at the “reality” that this software can create. In some of the videos, I could not tell what was filmed and what was simulation. Check it out on YouTube. You’ll be impressed. Here’s a short clip: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_zwKHgtQpc8
This got me thinking about “reality.” Interesting question: How do you know that something is real? What does “real” mean anyway? Would you say that a dream is real? Is a thought real?
I think some people would say that something is real if you can see it, hear it, or touch it. Using the physical senses of our amazing bodies. But I also learned some other interesting things in my research. What we see is not real. Our eyes play tricks on us all of the time. Because we don’t see with our eyes, we see with our brains. Our eyes are actually closed 10% of our day, because we blink every 3 – 4 seconds. So, how does it appear that what we see is a continuous stream? Because our brain is filling in the missing pieces. I’m sure you’ve seen many of the posted optical illusions. And science has proven that we only perceive a tiny sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum. We don’t see infrared, or ultraviolet or X-rays. But we know they are “real.” There is literally more “stuff” in front of you right now than you can ever perceive.
Your brain is filling in, making up and creating all that you see. Same with your hearing. There are many hearing illusions as well. Again, because we hear with our brain, not our ears. And our brain is interpreting those energetic signals based on what it defines as predictable, through our subconscious. You don’t hear the higher frequencies that a dog can hear. Whales and dolphins can hear insane distances. Bats use sonar. Yet, we can’t hear those things.
And then, there’s touch. What could be more real than touching something? The vast amount of research done through quantum physics shows that we don’t ever actually touch anything! It’s simply an electromagnetic repulsion between your fingertips and the thing you “think” you are touching. What you feel as touch is just electrical signals interpreted by your brain. Wow, we touch with our brain? Radical!
Albert Einstein said, “Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one.”
So, let’s imagine that our lives are like a video game. That what we see, hear and touch are all illusions. How would that change your perspective of your world? If what we believe we know as real is not real, then what is reality? Unreal?
Makes you think, anyway. If our world is like a video game, then we could change whatever we wanted. The scenery, the people, the experiences, would all take on new meaning. And it would all be malleable. We could change anything we wanted. Imagine the doors that would open!
In a video game, the program engine is running in the background, deciding what to render for the player. Like rippling water, fantastic landscapes and fill-in characters for effect. In our living reality, that program engine is our brain. It takes the raw data from our senses, interprets it, and builds a coherent world for us to play in. But, just like the video game engine, our brain isn’t showing us everything. It is filtering out anything it deems as non-essential to our playing. Very efficient, but certainly no where near complete.
And what good video game is complete without some cool avatars? You can create them, change them or swap them out for something else. In our living reality, is our body really an avatar? And if it was, wouldn’t you have the same ability to change it into something else? Anything you wanted. And maybe you are the avatar and the player behind the controls.
Have you ever woken up from a dream that was so visceral, you had to stop for a minute and determine if it was real? Well, maybe it was real. When you dream, your brain behaves very similarly to when you're awake. It creates visuals, soundscapes, characters and emotions. Sometimes, it even teaches and reveals. Maybe the question isn’t “Is this real?” but “Is this meaningful?” Because what’s “real” might just be what you choose to assign meaning to.
So, is “reality” malleable? If reality is filtered through perception, and perception can shift, then your reality is not fixed. It can evolve with you.
Maybe reality isn’t a thing to define, but a relationship to deepen.
My editor and great author, John Palisano, just published his latest book: Requiem.
And it’s amazing! Another wonderful adventure in what is real and what isn’t. If you are looking for a good summer read, I highly recommend it.
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