Everyday Canvas

Interpretations of Our Realities

Prompt by Megan: "I am not strange, weird, off, nor crazy; my reality is just different from yours.”
Alice-Through The Looking Glass
As a big fan of the latest Alice movie, I couldn't resist! What is your view on this?

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Nietzche said, “There are no facts, only interpretations.” I think the idea behind Nietzche’s words validate what Alice said in Through the Looking Glass.

Case in point: Yesterday, I read a story which started as a murder-mystery. Its ending, however, was a disappointment for me because both the murdered and the murderer died, and while on the other side, God sent one of them to Heaven, the other to Hell. Now, in the beginning or the middle of the story, there was no mention of God or Heaven or Hell; it was a clear-cut, stark murder mystery with serious action and everything. I reacted to the story from the viewpoint of a reader and as someone who is acquainted with the writing craft. This sudden turn was a put-off for me in a big way. Yet, two other reviews for the same story were laudatory. Those people who praised the story said that it was time God got into things and words of that nature.

Now their reality is certainly different from mine. Not that I am wrong or that they are wrong, but it is our viewpoints that are different. They think if something has to do with religion or God, it has to be great, and if I were to answer such reviews or argue my thoughts from the standpoint of the writing craft, they would think I was “strange, weird, off, or crazy” plus a godless heretic for not thinking like them; therefore, our very personal perspectives together with our prior or instilled knowledge and beliefs are the culprits that separate us.

Our earth is a small dot in the vast cosmos. Because this universe is so humbling when we compare our planet’s size to it, our different perspectives should not encourage an imagined self-importance for anyone, and we do have a responsibility to deal more kindly with one another in view of the fact that we all need to stick together for our kind to exist as long as possible.