Are We Creating Our Own Reality? Reflections on Perception and Collective Influence

The notion that elites control everything might be an oversimplification; perhaps we, as a collective, have a more active role in constructing reality than we realize.

Sometimes, one stops to think if things happen on their own, or if someone is pulling the strings. It's often said that the elites, those at the top, are the ones orchestrating everything, dictating the rhythm. But what if it's more complex than that? What if we, the common people, are actually the entire orchestra, not just the musicians?

## The Power of Collective Perception

There's talk of how "egregores" are created, like clouds of mental energy forming around certain ideas or situations. One example given is that of people in precarious situations, those facing evictions. Of course, there have always been problems, but the way they are presented, the attention they receive, isn't that precisely amplifying the situation that, in theory, one wants to avoid? Elites, yes, may hold the baton, but aren't we, with our attention and mental energy, shaping what happens?

## Conflicts Waning?

In the past, wars or pandemics seemed to have a more potent effect on the population, a more widespread acceptance. Now, however, armed conflicts, even when they exist, tend to last less or be more localized. Even in countries with weaker economies, the willingness to engage in wars seems to have diminished. It could be that there is no longer the same collective "energy" or disposition to accept such situations as easily.