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Doing a grad paper on a cultural construct/image/object and how it shapes our reality. I have a few ideas, but wanted to know what plays significant role in constructing your individual reality?
I want to stray away from the expected (technology, cell phones, email, Facebook, texting etc).
Reality is the deck of cards each day deals me. In other words it just presents itself and I respond. The culture I live in influences that, but it's just another part of the picture to me. I don't get too hung up on how culture influences my reality because if it weren't this culture, it'd be another one. It's like wondering how air influences me.
Doing a grad paper on a cultural construct/image/object and how it shapes our reality. I have a few ideas, but wanted to know what plays significant role in constructing your individual reality?
I'm not sure that I really understand what sorts of things you are looking for - perhaps after I see a few examples I will update my answer, but for the moment, here is what comes to mind: I spend a great deal of time reading books and articles in the science and philosophy, especially quantum physics, cosmology, and philosophy of mind. My mind is always reeling with alternative views (two or more sides to every philosophical argument), and various competing theories in physics (e.g. twistor theory, string theory, the standard model, etc.), in particle physics; various interpretations of quantum mechanics; various theories of the "multiverse" or "bubble universes" in cosmology; a mind-boggling array of failed attempts to come up with a "theory of consciousness" in philosophy of mind. And during all of this time that I spend studying this stuff, I'm try to construct my own theories (I'm writing a sci-fi novel and I really want to put something "completely new" out there, if I possible can), so I'm constantly trying to "deconstruct" the various ideas and images that construct my reality. Take the notion of "object," for example. What is an "object"? What is a "subject"? And how are these concepts related? What are the origins of such concepts as "self" and "other"?
You might say that one of the major underlying themes of my life is a quest to uncover, analyze, and hopefully revolutionize the foundational assumptions and images that guide my thinking. So, having said all of that: What do I think constructs my reality? I guess the concept of a "quest" has to be one of the cornerstones - a raw, deep, intuitive - one might say "spiritual" feeling of "struggling to get somewhere" that seems profoundly (albeit vaguely) important. I can think of many different cultural roots for this sort of thing, but probably the one that comes to mind most easily for me is the Native American "vision quest." I sometimes wonder if a lot of this, for me, is rooted in the original Star Trek TV series. I was about 10 years old when the original series was first aired, and I was enthralled with space, the universe, and the general sense of wonder - "What's out there?" Hence, perhaps my sense of a "quest" is to some extent rooted in the general notion of exploring the unknown of both "outer" and "inner" space.
A "a cultural construct/image/object" that "plays significant role in constructing your individual reality" and you want to "stray away from the expected (technology, cell phones, email, Facebook, texting etc)"...
A single image that constructs my entire reality? lol. Mcdonalds.
I am quite unusual.... I don't watch TV and don't even have paid TV.
Rather I read non-fiction books
I also do not watch TV nor have a paid television, and I also read non-fiction books--though I do not follow the news. Unfortunately, I'm caught up in another time period than this one, so I am constantly reading history books. It's great to encounter someone else who shares this in common with me.
Sometimes I tend to construct my own reality -- I write, so I spend a good deal of time with imaginary characters (the current ones actually based on people who did live once), and running through imaginary scenes in my mind. Then theres the non-fiction side of me; yet, a good deal of this is researching into the background for my historical fiction novel.
So I suppose it is mostly writing which constructs my reality.
I've also just got done with a long day at work, so I'm not processing your question very thoroughly; what I provided above is a quick, cursory response to the topic.
my involvement in dog rescue (responding to applications to adopt dogs, dealing with dogs that are surrendered or in urgent need) is frequently a framework for how I structure my time. My husband's involvement in running (participates in marathons and trains others in running classes) has a big impact on our weekly schedules and how we structure our free time and even vacations.
growing up as the daughter of a holocaust survivor had a compelling influence on our family's response to a variety of situations and how little we were involved in community, and how "under the radar" our parents operated. My Dad's horrific experience has impacted my entire life, is also felt by my adult son, and this family history and beliefs as a result has been even shared with my granddaughter.
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