For us the visible reality is the real thing. We associate our-
selves with it and respond to it as well. Often, we feel uncom-
fortable and find hard to match with the world around us.
Inside we are distressed with the outer reality. It does not
reflect our ideal inner state.

Throughout the ages it has been said that the visible world
is not real or it is called as an illusion or maya. Plato, in his
famous The Allegory of the Cave, described the same dark cave
and shadows that the people we're obliged to observe—not
the true figures or the outside world. In the modern world,
these metaphors are hard to grasp and to realize.

Still, nothing could be more true. Maybe the phrasing
could be different, but the original message remains intact—
always. This visible reality is the one where we communicate
and observe. Yet we are present in other planes as well. They
are not visible to us, but we are members on those ones as
well. Beside the physical body we also have our feelings and
emotions as well as our mental capabilities. They are as real
for anyone as the physical world itself, even though we cannot
see them.

So, where's the real reality and what does it mean? The
world every wisdom tries to illustrate and refer to is the real-
ity of thoughts. That is where anything is first created—it is
thought out. Only after that can it be expressed and material-
ized. No matter whether we are talking about going shop-
ping, building a house, or even speaking. First it has to be
created and then it is a matter of realization, depending on
the case at hand.

A thought without any feeling is not complete. Saying "I
love you" without a feeling is meaningless. Similarly, the feel-
ing or the passion/desire has to be combined with the
thought. Together they are something. This applies to talking,
building a house, or any other matter. (The third required ele-
ment is power or will to execute or carry out the matter, but
this is just a hint for the considerate reader and not relevant to
the topic.)

Why should we not focus on the outside world and instead
purely concentrate on the inner higher reality? No matter
where you look, you find the wise words that encourage us to
look inside or, as Pythagoras has so nicely put it: "Man know
thyself then thou shalt know the Universe and God. "These
should not be understood in a manner that one ignores the
visible world or isolates himself or herself from the world.
The purpose is to encourage us to focus on the essence or the
source where everything is really taking place and where we
can have control and real influence on the visible world.

First this may sound quite bizarre or contrary, but just con-
sider how much in control of your world you really are. Are
you pretending to be in control or just really facing the facts
that you are only an observer for the occurring events? A feel-
ing of being in control is not the same as having a real influ-
ence on the issues and understanding what is really causing
them. Can you have a peaceful and happy life?

Some people can. And they have followed Pythagoras'
advice. They have realized that in order to achieve something,
we have to look inside and find it first there and only after
that can it materialize in the outer world. Actually, nothing
can prevent it from occurring should the desire be strong and
persistent enough. Why is this so hard to believe and start to
implement?

Simply because we are used to living and looking outside
of ourselves. We take it for granted that by doing something
in the outside world we can make something happen in our
desired manner. But what happens when you start to do this?
You create a perpetuity machine without even realizing it or
having a chance to jump out. Often, only the final desperation
makes the person get out of the cul-de-sac and start to look
inside himself or herself for strength. Only then can some-
thing start to happen. The reason for this is very simple. The
outside reality is just a mere cause of the activities that hap-
pened before—that is, the results or the reflections of the
mental thoughts and feelings. Nothing can ever change in the
outer reality until the thought and emotional structures are
changed accordingly.

We have to first "see" and "feel or believe" (together) the
desired outcome and only then can it start to happen. If you
just look at the current state of the visible world and take it for
granted without any creative and passionate effort, then noth-
ing will ever improve or change; actually, the opposite often
happens. A negative spiral is created—things look so bad and
hence I will be so depressed and so on. Naturally a positive
inspiration and feeling is also possible—then only the sky is
the limit, isn't it?

Why is this so hard to believe, still? Because we do not see
the real reality and thus we do not consider it matters. We
think that we can think, feel, or say whatever we feel like
without much consideration or significance. And look the
state of the world today! Have we been able to live in peace
and love each other as humans? How about your thoughts
and feelings—are they only loving and peaceful every day and
toward everything, permanently?

Maybe we should start to consider more carefully the wise
words repeated so often to us throughout the centuries. We
have people among us who have achieved a permanent state
of tranquility and happiness. Even the latest science does not
disprove this. Einstein and quantum mechanics can do won-
ders if you want to study them. Why is it that the observer
affects the observation or, to put it differently, why does the
thought affect the thinker?