If you were the only girl in the world…

By August 13, 2011Theology

Have you ever really stopped to think whether you exist or not? Of course, we can’t prove reality, any more than we can prove the existence of God, so our lives are really just one big leap of faith. But I think this question is a great opportunity for a thought experiment.

The philosophers call it solipsism, because all that we can really be sure about is the existence of our own mind. (maybe). But I think that imagining we’re in our own personal Truman Show is actually a useful thing to do. Of course, it doesn’t work so well if we convert this thought into assuming we’re part of a dystopia like the Matrix, and searching out some malevolent authority to blame. But, when something happens that doesn’t fit in, ask yourself, if this was created, by me or for me, what am I supposed to learn from it? Of course, it is as false a question as any other you might ask, language itself being a construct. But it might give you pause for thought before you react to something, and give your mind a chance to stretch into possibility, by assuming there is meaning to be found.

My husband says it doesn’t help when the loo leaks, though. But maybe I invented him, too.

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