As a summary of empirical experience, Confucius said, "When the world follows the Way, the common people do not discuss it." In my opinion, this statement should be understood in reverse. When public discussions increase, it does not necessarily indicate social progress but rather an increase in future uncertainties.
In this world of unprecedented increase in public discourse, what are people worried about? Sitting under the Sydney sun at three o'clock in the afternoon, watching the dog running around the small garden, I suddenly saw multiple realities unfolding before my eyes again. One is the historical, conceptual, and weighty reality in the news, while the other is the reality of sunshine, blue sky, and rain-washed earth.
I know that everything is happening, distant wars, death, supply chains, and butterflies vigorously flapping their wings.
Everyone hears the duality of reality, but the weight of these dual realities may differ and need to be reshaped in memory to make it more vivid.
When Pessoa was copying the ledger, he had the painted deck, far-off voyages, and the boiler room door all unfolding in his mind. The fate of accounting was a huge sheet of graph paper and a prisoner between the gridlines, but Mr. V still had the imagination of a far-off voyage on a ship and a butterfly in a fictitious garden.
What does the duality of reality mean? I often think that contemplation should be placed alongside daily life.
In the words of Scott Jame, it is the difference between a hidden transcript and a public transcript.
A person's performance in daily life often unfolds with two scripts, and dual reality unfolds simultaneously. The meaning of the same sentence or action is not defined by the performer, and even the person living in it may misunderstand their own decisions.
The life or death of Schrödinger's cat can only be determined after observation, and the duality of reality is even more fascinating. The performer doesn't even know which reality they are in. Both are real, and in our memories, we process and defend this person's life. We decide which reality we need.
These are the two faces of reality, the reflection in the abyss.