How much of what we perceive is true? We live an inevitably biased life, unconsciously believing that everything we see, taste, hear, and feel is real. Yet, the red I see and the red you see are not the same. Piransei loses all memory of his identity, family, and job. The first other human that Piransei meets, Piransei believes he is a friend, because Piransei wants him to be a friend. We believe the things we want to believe. In doing so, Piranesi gradually lost his true identity as Matthew. That is why in this increasingly complex world, reality becomes harder to define. Everyone creates their own "reality", and most of them are likely not realities at all.
Why do we believe what we believe?
“But men may construe things after their fashion, Clean from the purpose of the things themselves.”
-William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Piransei believed that the House was his entire world, and he was its beloved child. He loved its complex layout and living in it with the Other. Upon discovering evidence that threatened his life in this world, he chose to dismiss it. Convincing himself that he enjoyed this typically suffocating and suspicious lifestyle, Piranesi wanted to believe what would cause him less pain. He tried convincing himself that the Other was still his savior and friend when truthfully, the Other was mentally abusive. Every single person has different personalities and experiences, which is why we have such infinitely different interpretations of the world. Everyone has their own unique take on life. Piranesi lost all memory of his experiences in the real world, which is why he was so trusting of the first person he met in the House. However, as someone who lives in the real world, I didn't share Piranesi's trust. Although it seems that Piranesi was foolish in thinking without considering other possibilities, humans think like this everyday. For example, in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, men constantly misinterpret events as they see fit. Classifying an ordinary event such as a thunderstorm to be an "omen" is the consequence of human perception. Essentially, our individualism is why life can be viewed so differently.
What is the "true" reality?
If everyone's perception of life is so unique, what actually happens? Let's say that there is a single timeline that represents the Truth. In the picture, that would represent the main line in which everything branches off of. Every single perception of reality branches from the Truth. Some branches further away, some closer. When Piranesi entered the House, his life veered off, branching far away.
This hypothesis is similar to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)'s multiverse. If unfamiliar with the MCU, I would recommending clicking the link to learn more, but fundamentally, the multiverse is a theory that many universes exist, each one being variations of the main timeline. For example, in No Way Home, multiple Spider-Mans make an appearance. Applying this to our own lives, multiple perceptions appear. Each universe in the multiverse represents a different person's perception.
Is it important to live closely to the Truth?
You could argue that as long as you're happy, it doesn't matter if you're living a lie. Piranesi was still content living in the House, even when he was told that he had a real life under the name Matthew. It would be much unhappier, questioning every little event that happens and analyzing it through several lenses (literary lens, even). It would be far too hard to remain unbiased in every single action and decision made. Furthermore, no one even knows what the Truth is. No mighty all-being that can tell us everything that actually happened. However, the article, "Quit Lying to Yourself" by Arthur C. Brooks, delves into why living truthfully is important to being happy. Lying to yourself to relieve pain will hurt the integrity of your identity in the long-run. Piranesi, knowing this, chose to return to the real world. Therefore, although it is difficult to think truthfully, we should choose to try being honest to ourselves.
Is there only one reality?
Couldn't you argue that in the picture above where one points that the figure is a 6 and other a 9, that both of them are correct? Therefore, there is not just one reality. Perhaps it's the sum of every single one of the 8 billion realities that makes up the Truth. The Truth is a cable, composed of many, many wires, each wire representing a single reality. It's quite a large cable. What I mean by this is that just because a take on events is different, doesn't make it irrelevant. Piranesi's life as Piranesi was still a life lived. Even though much of it was a lie, he still felt joy when he got his new shoes and fear when he fell into the abyss. Everything felt real to him. However, the reader's suspicion of this lifestyle can't be disregarded either. It's the fact that there are so many perceptions of life that it is difficult to discern a singular Truth. This complex individualism is why the combination of every perception creates true reality, instead of just one.
---
Every person's beliefs are different, and perhaps false. However, that shouldn't mean that we shouldn't try to be truthful. Still, it's this blend of beliefs, true and false, that make life interesting.
A Study on Reality
How much of what we perceive is true? We live an inevitably biased life, unconsciously believing that everything we see, taste, hear, and feel is real. Yet, the red I see and the red you see are not the same. Piransei loses all memory of his identity, family, and job. The first other human that Piransei meets, Piransei believes he is a friend, because Piransei wants him to be a friend. We believe the things we want to believe. In doing so, Piranesi gradually lost his true identity as Matthew. That is why in this increasingly complex world, reality becomes harder to define. Everyone creates their own "reality", and most of them are likely not realities at all.
Why do we believe what we believe?
Piransei believed that the House was his entire world, and he was its beloved child. He loved its complex layout and living in it with the Other. Upon discovering evidence that threatened his life in this world, he chose to dismiss it. Convincing himself that he enjoyed this typically suffocating and suspicious lifestyle, Piranesi wanted to believe what would cause him less pain. He tried convincing himself that the Other was still his savior and friend when truthfully, the Other was mentally abusive. Every single person has different personalities and experiences, which is why we have such infinitely different interpretations of the world. Everyone has their own unique take on life. Piranesi lost all memory of his experiences in the real world, which is why he was so trusting of the first person he met in the House. However, as someone who lives in the real world, I didn't share Piranesi's trust. Although it seems that Piranesi was foolish in thinking without considering other possibilities, humans think like this everyday. For example, in Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, men constantly misinterpret events as they see fit. Classifying an ordinary event such as a thunderstorm to be an "omen" is the consequence of human perception. Essentially, our individualism is why life can be viewed so differently.
What is the "true" reality?
If everyone's perception of life is so unique, what actually happens? Let's say that there is a single timeline that represents the Truth. In the picture, that would represent the main line in which everything branches off of. Every single perception of reality branches from the Truth. Some branches further away, some closer. When Piranesi entered the House, his life veered off, branching far away.
This hypothesis is similar to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)'s multiverse. If unfamiliar with the MCU, I would recommending clicking the link to learn more, but fundamentally, the multiverse is a theory that many universes exist, each one being variations of the main timeline. For example, in No Way Home, multiple Spider-Mans make an appearance. Applying this to our own lives, multiple perceptions appear. Each universe in the multiverse represents a different person's perception.
Is it important to live closely to the Truth?
You could argue that as long as you're happy, it doesn't matter if you're living a lie. Piranesi was still content living in the House, even when he was told that he had a real life under the name Matthew. It would be much unhappier, questioning every little event that happens and analyzing it through several lenses (literary lens, even). It would be far too hard to remain unbiased in every single action and decision made. Furthermore, no one even knows what the Truth is. No mighty all-being that can tell us everything that actually happened. However, the article, "Quit Lying to Yourself" by Arthur C. Brooks, delves into why living truthfully is important to being happy. Lying to yourself to relieve pain will hurt the integrity of your identity in the long-run. Piranesi, knowing this, chose to return to the real world. Therefore, although it is difficult to think truthfully, we should choose to try being honest to ourselves.
Is there only one reality?
Couldn't you argue that in the picture above where one points that the figure is a 6 and other a 9, that both of them are correct? Therefore, there is not just one reality. Perhaps it's the sum of every single one of the 8 billion realities that makes up the Truth. The Truth is a cable, composed of many, many wires, each wire representing a single reality. It's quite a large cable. What I mean by this is that just because a take on events is different, doesn't make it irrelevant. Piranesi's life as Piranesi was still a life lived. Even though much of it was a lie, he still felt joy when he got his new shoes and fear when he fell into the abyss. Everything felt real to him. However, the reader's suspicion of this lifestyle can't be disregarded either. It's the fact that there are so many perceptions of life that it is difficult to discern a singular Truth. This complex individualism is why the combination of every perception creates true reality, instead of just one.
---
Every person's beliefs are different, and perhaps false. However, that shouldn't mean that we shouldn't try to be truthful. Still, it's this blend of beliefs, true and false, that make life interesting.