The Reality Presented To Us

One of my favorite movies is "The Truman Show" starring Jim Carrey. It is about Truman who lives in an enormous studio and has hidden cameras watching him at all times and is on the air 24/7. He has no idea he is on television or lives in a manufactured world.


If we were to move to Truman's home we would likely notice it is different or fake but Truman had been on the air for 30 years and never suspected a thing.


There is a scene where Christoff, the creator of the Truman Show is being interviewed and was asked why Truman has never discovered he was on television Christoff said "WE ACCEPT THE REALITY OF THE WORLD IN WHICH WE ARE PRESENTED".





I think that is a profound statement and we all accept the reality presented to us. (at least at certain times in our lives).


I read about Spencer W. Kimball growing up in poor in Gila Valley Arizona. He said... "I never knew we were poor". His friends and neighbors shared the same quality of life and he accepted the reality in which he was presented and was happy and productive despite the economy or the world's view of him. I have heard people who grew up in the depression era say the same thing.





Most kids grow up to live in the same kind of neighborhood, have the same size families and similar incomes and goals as their parents. They just accept that as reality.


I think in some ways it is good not to know anything different, it helps us to be satisfied and healthy. On the other side of the coin I see it as a barrier preventing us from reaching our true potential. If we could see a different reality we might make different goals and create a new or better reality for ourselves and future generations.





When we are young we all think we are going to be rich, we have energy and are motivated. Some of us work hard and succeed but I would bet most of us will work hard but begin to compromise and accept a reality that wasn't what we really wanted. A smaller home is OK and an old car is cheaper anyway, I will always be this size and at least I have good insurance even though I hate my job. We all hope our kids will see things differently but it is likely they won't if we don't present best possible reality we can.





I think changing our own reality is extremely difficult. Whatever reality we have been living in has created a comfort level. Unfortunately for many of us we are subconsciously comfortable with drama, depression or poverty and when someone tries to change, they feel different and realize it isn't the reality they are used to and fall right back.


Creating and accepting a new reality requires well thought and and written goals, affirmations and a dogged determination.





Truman nearly dies trying to escape the reality that was presented to him and is ultimately triumphant. I recommend picking up a copy next time you are at the video store with this in mind. Truman shows us the steps.

LIFES MAJOR DESCISIONS IN MY CAR

Have you ever looked back at your life and wondered what it might be like if you made one or two decisions differently? I believe there are a handful of decisions we make during our lifetime that define who we are and shape the rest of our lives. In addition, it influences those we love (good or bad) .



I'm not talking about where to go on vacation or if I should have more fiber in my diet... I am talking about the decisions that change the path our lives are on. Career, Marriage, where to live, what church to attend, what college, etc...



I was thinking about the major decisions I have made and realized that nearly all of them were made in my car.

I proposed to Audrey in my 1991 Nissan pickup, I decided to move to a different state in my Schwan's delivery truck, I made a career change in the passenger seat of a 1995 Toyota Camry, I decided not to continue going to college in a 1988

Chevy Prism.

Am I someone who doesn't take major choices seriously? I don't think I am. Could it be that the intimate environment and lack of distractions that a car offers creates the ideal environment for significant conversations? I don't know for sure but I am grateful for cars! I enjoy my 30 minute commute to and from work every day. It gives me time to mentally prepare for the day and unwind before I get home.



I thought about those decisions I made in all those different cars and wondered how different my life would be if I had made a different decision. (would I have made a different decision if I was in a different kind of car? like a Volkswagen Beetle or a Corvette?)

I saw in my mind, a very different path my life could have taken with different decisions. I saw a life where I was skinny, rich and happy and I lived in a 1950's Norman Rockwell America. I started to feel anxiety about the paths I have chosen and continued to stew about the lame choices I made. This went on for weeks.

I came to realize that my choices aren't so bad. (at least they could be much worse). Whatever decisions we made in the past really don't matter. What matters is where we are going and what will we choose in the future. Feeling bad or wasting time wondering what could have been won't improve the future. We can create our future with the choices we will make while driving down the interstate one day. or sitting in a drive thru or parking lot.