This Realisation Changed How I See Everything
Have you ever watched a military submarine in a movie, like The Hunt for Red October or Crimson Tide?
Can you picture it?
Now, think for a moment. Did you see any windows?
No, of course not. So, how do they get around? How do they know where they are or where they're going? How do they avoid crashing into underwater cliffs or know if a missile is headed straight for them?
These submarines navigate the deep ocean without any way to see the world directly. They rely entirely on their equipment: an elaborate console of gauges, radar screens, sonar blips, needles, and alarms. It's through these tools that the crew gets a sense of what's outside the submarine.
But here's the thing: none of that equipment shows the world as it truly is. There are no underwater cliffs or approaching submarines on the radar - just lights and shapes that represent what's "out there."
And yet, the submarine operates flawlessly. The equipment doesn't have to display reality as it is. It only needs to create a map - a representation of the world - that's useful enough for the submarine to navigate and survive.
Now, let me ask you something else: what makes us assume that our experience of reality is any different?
Your Console and the Story of Reality
What if we, like the submarine, don't perceive reality as it truly is? What if our senses - sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell - are just the equipment on our console?
Our eyes don't show us the "truth." They display images filtered through our minds interpretation. Our ears don't give us sound as it exists but vibrations that are translated into something meaningful. Every sensation, every experience we have, is like the submarine's radar: a representation of reality, not reality itself.
And yet, just like the submarine, this representation is good enough for us to function, interact, and even thrive in the world. It's so convincing that it feels real.
But what happens when the console starts telling stories of its own?
Stories of Stories
Imagine that the submarine could think. It remembers past blips on the radar. It predicts future ones. It starts simulating scenarios based on those memories and expectations, displaying them on its console just as vividly as if they were happening right now.
The crew might react as though these imagined scenarios were real: engaging in tactical manoeuvres, going on red alert, arming the missiles. They're responding to stories about stories, not reality itself.
Now imagine that these simulated stories are used to create new predictions, which then become "memories" that inform even more predictions. Before long, the crew is trapped in a loop of reacting to stories layered upon stories, entirely disconnected from what's actually outside the submarine.
Does this sound familiar?
Breaking Free from the Loop
We humans do this all the time. We start with a story - shaped by memory, predictions, and assumptions - and then use sense data to confirm or deny it. This sense data, far from being the foundation of our experience, is just part of the process, feeding into the story our minds are already telling.
And when these stories seem real, they seem to dictate how we feel, how we behave, and how we suffer.
But what if we could step back and see the process for what it is? What if we could recognise that our experiences - our "reality" - are stories created by our storytelling minds?
Here's where it gets interesting. When we truly understand this, we realise something profound: there is no mandatory feeling or behaviour that must come with any experience. We don't have to suffer.
The Power of the Storyteller
Our storytelling minds are incredible. They construct our reality, and we thrive in it. But this same ability can lead to unnecessary suffering when we forget that it's a story.
The good news is that recognising ourselves as the storyteller gives us a choice. We can challenge the story, enquire into its validity, modify it, or even let it go entirely.
And in that moment, we return to our natural state: peace.
Has this resonated with you and you’d like to explore how you can free yourself from suffering…