Reconnecting to Reality

Book One

By Jerry Pitney

Copyright 2019 Pitney Publications of Canada

Smashwords Edition

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CHAPTER ONE

Ask yourself this simple question:

How much of what you "know" is fact or fantasy?

It is said that knowledge is power.

How empowered have you been feeling lately?

We are often told that the root cause of frustration and angst stems from the fact that we live in a highly complex, technological society. People do not understand the science of our modern day world and, as a consequence, a loss of self-empowerment, or an ambivalent attitude, can be the net result.

Another side effect of this social malaise is a general distrust of the media, the military, government, medical experts, scientists, law enforcement and the establishment as a whole. We begin to question everything that we are told and become confused as to what is real and what isn’t.

Too often we are told one thing, only to have the experts recant it later.

What can you safely believe? Who can you really trust?

This is the mantra of the true sceptic. But, what value does scepticism have if there is no sincere attempt to undercover the truth?

So, whether or not you are a sceptic, an expert, an unbeliever, a whiz kid, a lazy lout or a frustrated citizen, this book is for you. All you need to possess is a desire to take a hard look at reality and to place a little added trust in logical thought and your intuition.

In doing so, I guarantee that you will achieve a better understanding of the world around you, both natural and man-made. At the same time, you will also develop a greater sense of certainty. This alone should be worth your efforts.

Having said the foregoing, this book is unlike others in that it not only examines the scientific, philosophical, metaphysical and hypothetical nature of reality, it will also require you to get up off of your butt and to do some active field work and exploration.

Only by taking a hands on approach, will you be able to develop a true sense of certainty that you have obtained the indisputable truth.

So, without any further fanfare, let’s now get started.

CHAPTER TWO

Okay, here’s assignment number one.

Regardless of what you may believe, most of us who live in big cities, small towns or even on farms, have become desensitized to the natural environment that surrounds us. We tend to take for granted that the natural world always seems to maintain its own perpetual balance and continuity. Daily, we tune out our background environment; things such as grass, trees, the soil, the sky, clouds, rocks, stars, birds and a myriad of other natural phenomena are only recognized by us on a very peripheral basis. We subconsciously acknowledge that they are present as we go about our day-to-day life, but we give them little in the way of actual scrutiny.

Here’s a good example of what I mean. Do you drive to work each day and, in the process, pass streets and boulevards lined with trees?

If so, how often do you actually look at any of these trees? Would you be aware if one of them was damaged; missing branches, bark, leaves or any other of its essential structural components? Would you be able to state conclusively that you know the species of any of the trees that you drive past, and often completely ignore?

Determining the genus and species of local boulevard trees may well not be of any practical use to you in your daily routine, but, you should at least acknowledge to yourself that you likely tend to focus more on the manmade elements of your surroundings, versus those things that would still exist in the total absence of man.

So, job one is for you to get reacquainted with your natural environment. This should be thought of as the reverse process to sensory deprivation. Call it sensory revival if you will.

Now, regardless of who you are, what you do for a living, your physical ability, or any one of a hundred other factors that might limit your time and freedom, I need you to get outdoors and do a few basic things in order to reawaken your senses and to sharpen your sensory acuity.

Since I would like these chapters to have pertinence to readers in all countries, climates and regions, let’s start with a few universal environmental factors. Let’s start with the sky, which people in all points of the globe are freely able to examine.

Depending on whether or not the day is sunny, cloudy or partially cloudy in your immediate environs, this will directly affect what type of observations you can make. But, let’s examine all of those conditions. Thus, you may have to take a peak at the sky on more than one day in order to compile your data.

Now, you may think this to be a useless and frivolous exercise, since you are exposed to the sky each and every day. But, how often do you actually look at it? I mean, actually lift up your head and stare at it with any degree of intensity or curiosity?

So, bear with me. You may not think that this will put you on a path to self-empowerment, but I may surprise you over the course of the upcoming chapters.

All right, how much can you say? What did you actually observe?

Not much, you say? Then, try this.

Were you previously aware of the fact that, on a sunny or a partially cloudy day, that the colour of the sky varies from one location to another? Yes, the sky is normally blue, but it can range from a darkish royal blue high overhead to a faded and light baby blue closer to the horizon. The colour of the daytime sky is not uniform in all places.

So, if you’re an artist painting a picture with a single tone of blue sky, how realistic is it?

Next, let’s talk about clouds. Of course, there’s much more to discuss here. But, for now, let’s avoid talking about the differences between the cloud classifications that meteorologists use (like cumulus and cirrus) and just focus on their colour. Are all clouds white and puffy? Through your direct observations, you should be aware that they can vary from a brilliant white to slate gray to blue to a dark, ominous grayish-black. Are there any two clouds that are uniform in terms of their colour?

Let’s also talk in general about their form. What happens when clouds become much more prevalent in one portion of the sky than in another? Are you even able to differentiate where one cloud begins and another ends?

The value of making these types of observations lies not in the result, but in the process itself. What I need is for you to reconnect with your visual acuity before we can carry on with any more demanding observations of natural phenomena.

Not only must you reawaken your sense of vision, but your other senses as well.

Another observation that you should be able to make, regardless of where on earth you live, is in respect to the wind.

From a visual perspective, you can observe the wind blowing bits of matter around, such a fluffy dandelion seed, for example. You can also observe the hair on your head getting tousled (providing you’re not bald, that is). But, you should also be able to feel the force of the wind on your arms or face. Thus, your tactile senses also come into play and will get heightened in the process, too.

Now, if you live in a desert climate, perhaps my suggestion about observing trees on your way to work may not be an appropriate example. But, regardless of whether or not you have the same climate, species of plants and animals, rocks & minerals, or other natural phenomena that I will use as examples herein, you should, nonetheless, be able to adapt them to your local environment, and ultimately reach similar end results.

CHAPTER THREE

Okay, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Going outside and just looking up at the sky, or observing the action of the wind. Kind of easy, in fact.

While some of the upcoming observations that I’m going to ask you to make may prove to be a bit more physically challenging, I am also conscious of the fact that not everyone has the same physical ability or dexterity. I want to reassure you that nothing in the course of these chapters will prove to be so demanding that the average reader won’t be able to accomplish it. What will be of greatest importance will be the overall conclusions to be drawn, and the fact that you will have the comfort of knowing that you have discovered the truth yourself. Thus, with each revelation, you will start to build an unshakable foundation of your own reality; one that no one, neither scientific layperson nor expert, will be able to refute.

Now, for your next challenge. This one involves a little late night exploration.

I want you to stay up, perhaps a bit later than you usually might, on a clear, cloudless night. Start by venturing outdoors and trying to observe when the first visible nighttime object appears in the sky. Usually, that will be a bright planet, such as Jupiter.

Now, choose some tall object, such as a tree or the roofline of a building to stand beside in order to have a reference point as to the height of the planet in the sky. Next, pick out a ground-based object as another reference point as to where Jupiter is in relation to the surface of the earth by mentally drawing a straight line down from it to the ground.

Once you have established the position and approximate height of the planet, take a break for the next 15 to 20 minutes. After that amount of time has elapsed, go back outside and make your second observation.

Can you see any appreciable movement in terms of where the planet is now versus where it was when you made your first observation? Has it moved higher, or lower, in the sky?

Next, repeat this process of observations every 30 minutes or so for the next 2 to 3 hours.

If you are diligent in terms of standing in the same spot that you did when you first spotted the planet, you should ultimately arrive at the following type of result.

The planet can be observed to move slowly across the southern sky, at first rising in height, and then slowly and uniformly arcing downwards towards the western horizon.

At the same time that you are making this observation, with any luck, stars should also become visible in the evening or nighttime sky. You can pick out one of the brighter ones on a subsequent night in order to make the same type of observation.

However, if you are observing the sky in the northern hemisphere (where I am located), things can get a little trickier regarding the motion of the stars, depending on whether or not you are looking at stars to the south, or, to the lower northern skies. This is because the stars appear to move in a counter-clockwise motion when looking north and, depending on where they are in relation to the Pole Star (the North star), they may appear to move from east to west (like Jupiter) or in a reverse motion (from west to east).

But, now is not the time to make detailed astronomical observations (yet). At this juncture, I simply need you to get outdoors and to observe the nighttime sky. I want you to look up and try to recapture that sense of wonder and awe that comes with staring at the stars. Depending on whether or not you are in the country or in the city, the stars that will be visible will vary greatly. But, even in an area with city lights, major constellations, such as the Big Dipper, will likely be visible.

If you get real lucky, you may also spot some other intriguing celestial phenomena, too. For example, as I was writing this chapter, I was making observations of the Big Dipper and I spotted a couple of shooting stars streaking high overhead. The sky also offered up a faint, yet ever moving, display of the Northern Lights, too.

Undoubtedly, the nighttime sky has much to offer in terms of variety. It is easy to get so enthralled by the scope and wonder of it that you may decide to commence a star gazing routine of your own design. That is completely up to you. The sole intent of this chapter was simply to get you outdoors and to look up at the stars again with a sense of awe. Just ask yourself, When was the last time I bothered to pay any attention to the stars in the sky?

You may be of the opinion that gazing at the stars does nothing in terms of bringing you a sense of empowerment. I would tend to challenge such a supposition. If anything, looking up at the vastness of the universe serves to connect you once again with reality and to set aside, at least for the moment, the never-ending distractions of the man-made world and all the associated worries that come along with them.

CHAPTER FOUR

The next challenge that I need you to undertake is to reawaken all the rest of your senses.

Try standing outdoors on a cool, windy day in order to experience exactly what it feels like to get chilly. Or, go outdoors on a bright, sunny day and stand in one exposed location until you can feel the cumulative heat generated by the sun on your body.

It seems common sense for us to note that anyone should be able to differentiate between hot, warm, cool or cold environmental conditions. But why? What is the apparatus that allows us to actually sense heat? Do all other species of living beings have the same awareness of heat and cold?

Next, reacquaint yourself with the discriminating powers of your sense of touch. Try going outdoors and examining plants or trees from a purely tactile perspective. Feel the leaves of several plants. One tree’s leaves may feel waxy to the touch; another plant might possess leaves that have a velvet-like texture. Run your hand gently along a tree trunk; experience the roughness or smoothness of its texture; see if you can feel the tiny bumps created by running your hand over the lenticels or other such plant features. Feel the prickliness of a few thorns on a rose bush.

These are only a few examples of what you might encounter by simply strolling through a copse of woods, a grassy field or a plant garden. Recognize, and realize, how touch alone could help you to differentiate between any one type of plant species and another.

If you were able to replicate one of my above examples, and