Human Reality

The title of this article is a reference to the phenomenon where an individual or a group, through focus of attention, create their own working reality within their mind. This reality is their interpretation of the world and is called upon when solving problems, meeting other people, and making sense of their observable surroundings. It acts as a model to represent a world that is too complex to fully understand with a single mind, or even a human mind (collectively, humanity still has mysteries undiscovered).

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Subjective
           1. existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective).
(Or we could just be blunt and call it "bias".)
Objective
           8. of or pertaining to something that can be known, or to something that is an object or a part of an object; existing independent of thought or an observer as part of reality.
Biosphere
           2. the ecosystem comprising the entire earth and the living organisms that inhabit it.
(http://dictionary.reference.com sans the note in brackets)

Reality touching: When two or more people are aware of the same thing at the same time.
Reality intersecting: When two or more people are aware of each other and are capable of intelligently communicating with each other. (May be as simple as Morse code)

           The "if a tree falls in a forest does it make a sound?" and quantum mechanics aside, it should be established that there is nothing wrong with generalizing the world into mental models, representing what is perceived and what should be perceived. Part of human thought is the ability to generalize experiences and concepts into a single model of existence, and curiosity is used as a way to update that existence to better understand it. From this point on the article will be dealing with more specific applications of the model and the results of using that model.

           Hypothetically, what if the difference between humans and animals was that we create our own realities? Individual animals do focus on their particular daily tasks, such as eating leaves or wandering about, but they do not try to isolate themselves from the reality that they are part of the greater whole; the biosphere. Were a predator to suddenly appear in their awareness both the predator and the prey have a mutual agreement that one is food and should seek to flee, while the other must seek to kill if they wish to feed. Both animals, who did not have their predator/prey role until they encountered each other, each had their own perception of reality, but at the same time are part of the same biosphere, affecting and being affecting on an extremely large scale, relative to themselves as individuals.
           In contrast, humans have the ability to deny the reality around them and behave however they wish. In the predator/prey scenario, one person might believe themselves to be a predator as they attack another with a knife, but even though the other person is physically at a disadvantage they may have been trained in some form of martial arts that allows them to not flinch (unlike prey), and then against the odds disarm the assailant simply because their mind does not function to the same degree of animalism as their would-be predator.
           From a model point of view, the reality of the assailant is compatible with the biosphere, because they will behave on instincts and base desires while accepting whatever their situation provides them. If they land in jail, they'll adapt and await release or fight to avoid it. They act as a part of the greater whole, and are unable to contemplate actual evil as per the quotation "Never assume malice when stupidity will suffice." -Robert J. Hanlon. The whole concept of revenge is still part of their biology, or human nature, and they will believe themselves to have something to gain.

           Having done specifics, let us go into the theory. Before birth a human fetus receives stimuli in the form of sounds and motions; during this time their brain is also developing. At birth they get touch, taste, and visual information from their surroundings. Most of this is not remembered consciously but it sets the groundwork for how the individual will, later in life, view and interact with the world. As kids they become curious about the world they are in, asking questions and seeking adventures. Parents who understand this is part of a child's normal behaviors generally have children that develop into healthy adults. The presence of the ego can result in a person's belief that they fully understand the world around them and have nothing more to learn. Taking it one step further; a superiority complex may develop. Such a person would stop consciously observing their reality and would only act, using their incomplete model as a roadmap while trusting its infallibility wholeheartedly. On the flipside there are people who understand that they and their views are flawed, but still try to make the best of it and continuously seek to improve themselves. Whether they are malicious or not becomes their personal choice.

           It should be said that because of how people focus on their lives their particular models may simply be concerned with the details of their daily lives. One adult may be interested in thinking about how best to invest their money, their mind being filled with company names and stock figures, as well as numerous calculations. When they come home they might not stop thinking about their work, but are able to divert some attention to home needs. Another adult may do welding for a living. They think of things on a case-by-case basis; they generalize less than the adult who must see the economic big picture. They need a tangible quantity of tools and materials, and they need a tangible object to weld. Other thoughts would pertain to safety and making sure no unshielded person is present if arc-welding is to be done. If the two people meet their realities would intersect; they would both be aware of each other but would interpret the meeting different, simply because of their different method of thought and dissimilar interpretation of the world.

           There are levels to these realities: there is the reality where people are focused upon a single task and everything around them does not exist; there is the model of their experienced reality that people have, to behave certain ways and being surprised if something unexpected occurs; a group reality, such as in an office or a community where the people behave in such a way as to fit in with the rest of group; and finally a global reality, which constitutes all of humanity that is not completely isolated. The lattermost is due to globalization, trading, and tourism. The reality between a scientist at NASA or ESA and a tribesman in Africa touches every time an artificial satellite flies over the night-time sky. The realities touch but not intersect because there is a common object of focus rather than a meeting, and the neither the tribesman nor the scientist are consciously aware of the existence of each other specifically.

           Groups are people who share a common view or trait. People on a crowded street all going in different directions are still a group when we generalize the common fact that they are all in the same area and all have the common behavior of going somewhere. They would also all react in the same fashion if something in their environment changed, such as a construction project going on. More commonly a group is simply people who's realities are touching.
           The secondary level is when a gathering of people, with a common goal, agree upon something and carry it out. Within the mind of each person is this goal, in some shape or form, and through the use of a leader or simple idea the goal is described in an understandable way. The end result cannot be each person's individual perception of how it should be, so those involved must accept the common reality of the group, even if it deviates from their beliefs. Once this is done amazing works of art and engineering can and have been achieved through people working together. If a person does not understand this "greater picture" of a goal then they are allowed to go back into the first level of reality, where they focus on a single small task like nailing wood together, thus accomplishing what the group desires without knowing it.
           There is a tertiary level of group where the group's reality is intersecting between the members. This can be represented with a Venn diagram consisting of many circles. Everybody is part of the chain but not in a linear fashion (each person does not just know two people), and all these intersecting realities make up the collective human awareness. A consequence of this is that through just a few links everyone is connected somehow (A wife has a husband overseas, the husband has a friend in a company, the friend knows a manager of the company, the manager knows the President of the company, the president of the company knows an American senator, the senator knows an aide at the White House, and that aide knows the president).
           As groups increase in size the awareness of their existence grows (Christians). A small group can also be well known if they intentionally intersect other people's reality on a frequent basis (Vocal minority). This permits other like-minded people to seek out the group, thus joining them and further increasing the group, resulting in an exponential growth until each person in the world is able to choose to be part of this group or not (Christians make a great example of this because they seek to make everybody aware, and seek to get more people to join their group). Once this point has been reached the growth levels out and will fluctuate based upon current events and changes in global human population (Church attendance increases if people believe the world is ending, etc.)

           Animals can be groups as well, and humans can be groups and behave in an animalistic fashion. This is represented in violent rioting, all out war (Shots in anger, fear for self), and gang/group fights. When two groups with conflicting views/beliefs encounter each other they have the option to use representatives to figure out a compromise despite the strong desire of both parties to destroy the other (Cuban Missile Crisis). If they refuse to seek common grounds, and behave in a way that escalates tensions, then conflict and violence will follow (Middle Eastern conflicts). The term 'do not judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes' refers to being able to see their point of view, and understand it is just as valid a view as your own. Whether you believe in their view or not is your choice, but knowing that fundamentally both views are the same is what's important.

           A windowless room, and all structures (both physical and conceptual) that can be occupied are forms of isolated reality. Within the windowless room only one's knowledge and memory of the outside has meaning. In all other forms one is incapable of intersecting, or even touching, another person's reality (unless somebody made the room and stuffed you inside, but we're being hypothetical). If a phone call can be made, or this is a prison cell with a guard who isn't deaf/blind/mute then some form of stimuli can be had that is from another person's reality. If this is not the case there is a high chance of insanity developing. Isolation chambers work with this concept.
           A conceptual isolated reality can be a math problem; where the entire reality consists of itself and does not intersect with other math problems. Once solved the result is taken and the process is either recreated for future problems or disposed of. A more popular conceptual reality is video games; they require the full attention of the player while disregarding conditions such as a rainy day. This reality is really nothing more than transistors and bits and is the creation of another person(s), but it allows people to completely forget their own reality (for better or for worse) and to partake in the artificial reality of the game. Books are another example and still retain popularity in the modern world. Conceptual realities are less dangerous to people as typically they can be left at any time of choosing, but it is under consideration to create a permanent Matrix-style computer-generated reality that people cannot leave once inside, short of dying.
           Within a classroom using only fluorescent lights (fluorescent hell) and covered windows one can create a reality fully independent from the outside world. If the only stimuli present is that of the course material then the occupants are forced to either partake in the study of those materials, find some alternate means with which to keep themselves occupied, or to become further isolated than the other occupants, risking mental well-being.
           Dense cities function as an escape from nature for the occupants. Buildings have systems that constantly control the air, lighting, and plumbing, among other things. In some cases a person would not need to leave the building for weeks or months, as is the case of hospital patients or an ill apartment resident.

Note: This article does not cover objective reality simply because there are few facts and many opinions in the world. What people perceive may not necessarily be what is really there, and they can be fooled by being given false information with which to change their normal behavior.