We don’t have to be psychotic to live under an illusion. Every day, countless decisions are made by individuals on the basis of inadequate or biased information. The consequent damage to humanity is hard to calculate. That’s why it is so important that we become self-reflective
individuals who critically appraise our own judgements and views. I’m not talking about unhealthily critical self-talk, but an honest appraisal of reality. Without this, it’s like we’re living in a dream. Interestingly, it’s sometimes possible to reflect on ourselves even in sleep! We call this ‘lucid dreaming’. Recent research described in PsyPost suggests that when weknow that we’re dreaming, our brains produce a unique pattern of activity that is distinct from that usually seen during both wakefulness and typical dreaming. We may not be able to have lucid dreams at will, but we can choose to seek reality in our waking life. A radical commitment to truth (even when we don’t necessarily like what we see!) will help us here. And if we add to this a daily walk with God, we will not simply enjoy knowledge but have the wisdom to apply it correctly.