Reality, minus expectation creates happiness

Reality is a concept that is either deeply flawed, nothing like it was when we were growing up, or has lost its grace through the advent of reality TV shows.
I like the concept of reality as it was expressed when the art world was going into raptures over Andy Warhol’s signature artistic expression of the relationship between the artist, celebrity, and the marketing and advertising culture of the sixties.
A Los Angeles Art Gallery pulled off a stunning public relations coup by presenting Warhol’s first “Campbell’s Soup Can” painting, with a price tag of $1500, only to be stunned by a lively competitor just down the street that was a perfect ‘smack down,’ set up a display of its own Campbell’s cans of soup, and a sign that read: “The Genuine Article, only 29c.”
Seneca, the ancient Greek statesman, said, “We are more often frightened than hurt, and we suffer more from imagination than reality.” He makes a good point, doesn’t he? How often do we put off confronting a real situation in the belief that the outcome will be much worse than that which eventuates? The reality is that we have to be just a bit more brave in our day-to-day interactions, we have to show a little more bravery, heart or ‘ticker,’ as they say at home, or as Harper Lee wrote, in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ again in the sixties, “Things are never as bad as they seem.”
In my educational environment, much of our educational psychology is still drawn from an American educationalist, psychologist and philosopher, John Dewey, who continually argued the educational philosophy that, “Education and learning are social and interactive processes, and the school itself is a social institution through which social reform can and should take place.” He believed that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the whole curriculum, and shape their holistic learning experience within their “individually formed reality,” which he said, “will be moulded by time and memory, the true artists, who will bring it closer to their heart’s desire.”
The concept of reality has not been abandoned by irony either, with a park bench conversation between two pensioners going something like this:
Bill: “It’s ironic you know, we have much smaller families today than in the past, yet we have bigger houses.”
Ben: “I dunno about that but what about we can put a man on the moon, yet never talk to our neighbours.”
Bill: “Too right, and you know what? In my day only rich kids went to university, but now everyone can get a university education, but they don’t show a lot of common sense do they?”
Ben: “You’re right there. A spoonful of wisdom beats a bucket of knowledge any day!”
Bill: “…and old friend, here we are with more money than we’ve ever had, and nobody to spend it on. It makes you wonder doesn’t it?”
Ben: “Well, I never thought I’d reach ninety, and I was dead sure you never would. You did some crazy things when you were a young fella.”
Bill (chuckling): “Yep. We’re living a lot longer now. More humans and less humanity they say.”
Ben: “Yes they do. Hey (he laughs), remember that night………. Back of the bike sheds?” …and the conversation trails away. Now those two have their reality sorted.
Life is not a problem to be solved, or a challenge to be faced, but a reality to be experienced. All of us should be more mindful in terms of the realities of our current situations, face them, and deal with them. No amount of angst, disquiet, apprehension, disquietude, anxiety, perturbation, fear, malaise, distress or any other synonym, will make things easier. Whatever it is get it done. For as John Lennon wrote, “Reality leaves a lot to the imagination,” and I will add if you let it.