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Hi everybody, this is Mr Duncan in England.
How are you today?
Are you okay?
I hope so.
Are you happy?
I hope so.
In today's lesson, we are going to take a look at something we all feel.
Something we can all perceive in one way or another.
Something which can appear as one thing, but in fact be another.
It can be twisted and manipulated.
It exists around us through sight and hearing and inside us through our emotions.
Today we are going to talk about reality.
The word reality is a noun that means the state of actual existence or events that do exist or could occur in life.
Reality can be put into context as a paradigm.
One person's view of the world around them is their own reality.
In philosophy, the word reality means the totality of real things outside a person's own knowledge or perception of them.
What is reality?
For most of us, it is the moment we are living in.
The present is also used as a general term for now.
But reality encompasses much more.
It is not just when, but how and where.
And quite often, why.
There is a well-known phrase which originated in Latin.
I think, therefore I am.
This is a great sentence for summing up how we perceive the world around us.
Our consciousness gives us the ability to understand what reality is.
It is our awareness of the here and now that enables us to realise it exists at all.
I think, so I must be.
Yeah.
Yes, I know, this is such a big topic for such a small word, yet the importance of reality and our grasp of it helps to define each and every one of us.
The simplest way of showing the concept of reality is through one of our five senses.
Besides the ability to see and hear things, the most intense way of connecting with reality is through the sense of touch.
When you hold something in your hand, you make a connection with it.
It becomes real.
It is tangible.
It can be touched.
For those who have lost their sight, the sense of touch is an important link with the outside world.
There are many words and phrases that can mean reality.
What is true?
What is genuine?
What the facts are?
What is going on?
The real picture.
The actuality.
The realness of something.
The line between what is the truth and what is a lie.
Even then, reality is not always what it seems.
A glance in the wrong direction or a moment of distraction can change what you see and how you understand it.
There is a phrase in English, seeing is believing.
Generally, we assume that if we can see something, then it must be real.
However, it is possible to trick the senses.
Reality can be distorted.
This is very true when it comes to showing events after they have occurred.
Television has a habit of showing us things that have occurred, but not always as they happened.
the use of video editing can sometimes distort reality.
These days, TV producers embellish or exaggerate something to make it seem more dramatic or to make what occurred seem different in some way.
These days, the phrase reality TV refers to a series of events that have been either acted out, distorted, or in some cases, both.
If I didn't know any better, I would say that there is rain on the way.
You're welcome.
Is it always possible to tell what is real and what is just an illusion?
Well sometimes it isn't.
Each person's definition of reality is slightly different, although for most of the time these differences are small.
Personal attitudes and deeply held convictions can sway our outlook on the real world.
The paradox of reality is that sometimes real things can look fake and fake things can look real.
In art, the line between reality and illusion is constantly being played with.
A painting of a tree is not real.
However, the painting itself is.
The tree in the painting is a representation of reality.
The Belgian artist René Magritte famously painted a pipe and underneath it wrote in French, this is not a pipe, which of course is true.
It's a painting.
Just like the video image you are watching now, what you are looking at is nothing more than a flat flickering image.
We can use real or really to show that we genuinely enjoyed something or that we deeply appreciated someone's action.
I really enjoyed the party.
The show was really good.
We're going to have ourselves a real good time.
I had a really good time last night.
The meal was really good.
I really like you.
It was real kind of you to help me.
I really want to see you again.
You like my new t-shirt?
Really?
What you can see now is called a ford.
It is a point where a stream or river can be crossed on foot by wading through it, or by crossing it on horseback or in a car.
Even though it is quite shallow here, it is still possible to be swept away by the flowing water.
At times, the water depth here can be measured in feet rather than inches.
A few years ago, a car was swept away at this very spot.
It is possible to believe that something is real when it is not.
You can be tricked into thinking that something looks real, but it isn't.
We can call this an illusion.
The illusion is what you see instead of what is actually there.
We can also call this a hallucination.
Certain illnesses can cause a person to hallucinate.
They become delirious.
We can also call the thing that appears to be there a mirage.
If a person becomes lost and thirsty in a hot desert, they might see a mirage.
Any image or thing that creates this reaction can be described as an optical illusion.
Your brain is being tricked into seeing things that aren't there.
Reality is what happens when no cameras are around.
Reality is what happens when there isn't any sound.
Reality is what happens when the room stands bare and cold.
Reality is what happens when you realize you're old.
Moments that are real quite often passes by.
As life's minutiae gets in the way and the everyday trials and tribulations dominate our thoughts, it is easy to lose sight of what is real.
Sometimes it is hard to live in the moment when you are worrying about the next bill to fall on your doormat or some other burden that is weighing you down.
Thinking too much can be just as bad as thinking too little.
It would be fair to say that our only connection with reality is our own consciousness.
What we can see, hear and touch defines all of us.
All that separates each one of us from reality is the blink of an eye.
It would be fair to say that generally speaking, reality can be described as subjective.
One person's view of something can be completely different to another's.
However, the human mind is able to rationalize and make sense of what it is fed.
So we are able to function from day to day without going crazy.
Well, for most of us, that is.
you
The opposite of reality can be described as idealism.
This relates to what we want the world to be like, how we would like things to be.
Dreams are a form of idealism.
You can dream of a better life or a better world.
Desire is what you hope will be reality.
We all have dreams, wishes and desires.
They are the things that keep us all moving forward with our lives.
The action of making a dream come true is realisation.
You grasp the reality of the dream.
The process of creativity takes a similar route.
The thing in your mind becomes tangible.
It becomes real.
We all have dreams and despite what others may say, there is nothing to stop these dreams coming true.
I hope you have really enjoyed today's lesson.
I hope it has been really useful.
Really, I do.
I hope you can join me again soon for another delve into the very real world of English.
This is Mr Duncan in England saying thank you for watching me teaching you.
And of course, ta-ta for now.