You may have noticed this, for lack of better term, 'saying' that I've been throwing around a lot. It's featured on the header of my blog, my Twitter profile and is also the header on my Facebook and description of my Religious beliefs. If you haven't seen it, it reads: "No. This is not reality. Yes. This is a test." The pictures I've made that include this saying are copyrighted by the way, so they are not to be used without permission. So don't go stealing my shit.
Anyway, what is it? What does it mean? Why do I use it?
It probably seems pretty meaningless. Maybe even lame. But I've always drawn inspiration from the quotes and sayings of others and I've also wanted to have something that summed up me and my stance on everything in one swift movement.
Jared Leto and 30 Seconds To Mars have this common saying that sums up the band:
"Yes, this is a cult."
It says a lot about the group. In fact, it pretty much defines them. It shows they are more than just a band. It shows they are something deeper and further. A belief, if anything. And these beliefs are extended and explained through their music.
I don't want that and I'm not trying to be a belief, but what I'm getting at is everyone has a different thing that is important to them, that defines them.
The term "No. This is not reality. Yes. This is a test." is one I came up with and have used for a while. It's something I sort of say to myself. It sort of is me but in word form. It sums up me and my beliefs well. It's what I'm about.
So what does it mean? Don't worry, it's nothing sinister. I'm not trying to start a cult here or anything. I just want my blog and what I do to be expressive of myself, and using this term that I've had for a while helps that.
The first part, 'No. This is not reality', comes from the fact that reality cannot be proven. There is no such thing as a definitive reality. We are alone inside our heads and what we live is filtered through our brain. What we experience cannot be proven or disproven. This could all be a dream. Who knows? No one. That's a fact.
I am a realist though, so I believe that what we experience is as real as we experience it. What I mean by that is I believe we are clearly experiencing some sort of reality, so it's irrelevant if it's a 'false' or 'fucked up' reality. Whether we are all in comas or dreaming is irrelevant. The bottom line is we are experiencing some kind of existence, so let's get on with it.
But is this reality? No. Of course not. Because there is no clear definition of reality. Nothing we experience can be defined or proven as reality so technically nothing we experience is reality itself.
"No. This is not reality."
And who's going to prove that ^ wrong?
The second part, 'Yes. This is a test', really comes from my own beliefs about life itself.
Life is a test, and I don't mean this in a Religious sense. What I mean is that everything in life tests us and it is a morale challenge. Is there a prize? Can you win? Well yes, you can win at life by succeeding in what you want to and what is important to you personally.
But everything we do is a test.
The emotional struggles you go through. They're tests.
Every-time you are in a dilemma about whether to lie or be truthful. That's a test. It's a test of your moral standing and a test of your character. Life is a test, whether there is a God or not. I'm agnostic so I really don't care. I care about the now and what is going on at this moment in time.
So no, this is not, technically, reality. But yes, this is a test.
I'm currently developing different designs for t-shirts too. If you want you'll be able to get the slogan on t-shirts on Spreadshirt pretty soon.
