Selective and subjective perceptions.

“Our conscious, mental projections are only thoughts afterwards. This gives us the illusion of power and control.”
-Irvin D. Yalom

The Sun Orbits the Earth

A lot of people find it hard to accept that everything goes as it should go and that free will is only a figment of our imagination. Our brains trick us and give us the impression of having a free will while we are simply being driven by the brain.

So, what you experience is not as it really is.

A simple comparison here from philosopher Schopenhauer:
“Imagine that I ask you, 'Does the sun orbit around the earth?’ You get up in the morning, you walk outside, and you see the sunrise. During the day, you see the sun orbiting the earth. 

Hence, the answer to this question is very clear and simple ‐ the sun orbits the Earth! But if we zoom out and look at the entire universe, it suddenly becomes clear that the reality is totally different. The sun is not orbiting the Earth at all – rather, the Earth rotates about its axis and orbits the sun. In short, what you see is not always reality. If we look from a different perspective, we realize that reality is actually very different from what we believe it to be.”

Santa Claus Does Not Exist

Every year, a child waits excitedly for Santa Claus to come. The child gets new presents from good old Santa, and hands are filled with candy. The child sees Santa Claus with his own eyes and is fully convinced he really exists. Thus, he assumes that the stories his parents told him are true. The child believes that Santa Claus rides a sled pulled by reindeer to

deliver presents at night. Before the child goes to sleep, he spends all his time singing songs for Santa Claus and hoping that he is heard. When the child wakes up early in the morning, he runs downstairs to see what Santa has put in his stocking. 

After years of believing this story, there comes a time when the parents have to tell their child that Santa Claus doesn't actually exist. Everything the child believed in all those years turned out to be an illusion! The child is now distraught with loads of questions right away. 'Then who bought the presents?' 'Where are the drawings I made for Santa Claus?’ 'Who dressed up as Santa Claus?' 'Who filled my stocking?' Confusion all around!

Free Will Does Not Exist

It is understandable that confusion arises when we are told that free will is an illusion. You are thirty, forty, fifty, maybe even sixty years old, and raised with the idea of free will ‐ when suddenly, you are told the opposite. Just like the child who discovers Santa Claus to be an illusion, there are bound to be many questions and reactions to such a revelation.