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Then there are those who are absolutely convinced that their “reality” is The Only Reality. I don’t have any studies to back this up, but my guess is that a lot of the people who fall into this way of thinking have only lived in one place (usually a small one).

An example that comes to mind is a gentleman from the intensive Italian course I attended for five months when I lived in Lugano. He was Swiss-German but had lived in Boston for two years, which — in his mind at least — made him an expert on all things American!

He was convinced that he knew about all of America based on his brief experience of Boston. When questions about America came up in class, he would answer them. Despite having lived all my life in America, I was roundly ignored (oooh, it used to make me so mad)!

But you see, he fell into the trap of thinking that what he was able to see, touch, hear, and taste was the sum total of “reality”.

What a dramatic difference between my Tuesday morning “reality” and my Wednesday morning “reality”!

My reality for a month was mountains, lakes, lush greenery, and lots of people (all speaking Italian!); then this morning I’m back in the reality of forested hills, dried up grass, rustic living, and a very quiet, tranquil environment.

It’s easy to think that one’s present reality is the only reality, because it looks and feels so…well, real! Which is why traveling the world is so useful; one begins to perceive that there are an infinite variety of “realities”, depending not only on location but also the perception and perspective of each individual.

Towards the end of a solid month in Lugano I had to concentrate hard to remember details of our apartment here at the Village; it almost didn’t seem “real” any more!

I love the concept of the Divine Lila, or “God’s play”. The great masters tell us that this is all God’s dream, and — in fact — it sometimes seems to me as though my other “realities” have gone away while I’m away from them. It’s kind of fun to play with that thought: when I’m not there to observe it, does my apartment just dissolve back into undifferentiated bliss?!?