4. Reality Is What It Is

Reality Is What It Is, Not What You’d Like It To Be

Reality is all that is the way it is, whether anyone knows what is or not. If one is to live successfully in this world, it is the world as it actually is, not as one would like it to be, that one must know and base their choices on.

From, “Reality—An Introduction to Philosophy:”

With few exceptions no one is interested in philosophy. They don’t mind what passes for philosophy in academia, however. The academic perversions of philosophy are written and taught by those who use the methods of philosophy, not to discover the truth, but to evade and obfuscate it. They are just as ignorant, stupid, and superstitious as everyone else.

They hate true philosophy because it describes reality as it actually is and it is reality the sophists and cynics, passing themselves off as intellectuals and philosophers despise.

Reality is immutable, absolute, and ruthless. Immutable means the nature of reality cannot be changed or ever be other than what it is. Absolute means reality is complete and unconditional; it is all there is and is not contingent on anything. Ruthless means reality determines what is true and not true, and no human feelings, desires, choices, acts, beliefs, or wishes can change it.

No one wants to learn about that kind of reality, but it is the only reality there is. No one wants philosophy because the reality it describes is not nice:

• The real world is a very difficult place to live.
• There are no shortcuts to life, success or happiness.
• You must earn everything by your own effort.
• Anything less than your best is failure.
• You cannot do wrong and get away with it.
• There is no forgiveness.
• There is no mercy.
• Neither your feelings nor your desires matter.
• Reality is all there is, the way it is.
• The truth is whatever correctly describes any aspect of reality.

Does that make reality sound harsh? Well, it is. The proper name for that harshness is justice.

Reality is neither cruel or kind, reality is just what is. It is neither malevolent nor benevolent, but it is the means to all that is worth living for and the source of all that is possible. That possibility includes the fact that every individual is provided with all they need to live successfully and happily and to be all they can be as a human being. It means, your every shortcoming and failure is the result of your own choices and actions. It means, if you are not happy, it is your own fault. Reality provides you the means to all good things, but you cannot achieve either success or happiness if you defy reality, or refuse to even learn what it is.

The Reality of All Possibility

As ruthless and implacable as reality is, it is also the source of infinite possibility. No success is possible in defiance of reality, but knowing what reality is and ordering one’s life by the principles that describe it makes the achievement of anything possible.

There is nothing easy about life. There are no short-cuts, simple answers, or, “lucky,” breaks. Successful life requires intransigent ruthless effort to learn, think, and work to be successful, but nothing worthwhile is easy, and the more valuable anything is, the more it will cost in terms of time, effort, and endurance. There is nothing worth more than your own life and happiness.

What to remember: An Easy Life Is Not Worth Living!

—(##/##/2020)