The Healthy Management of Reality - Stanford University

Chapter 1On Managing RealityThe universe is infinite. We are finite.Each day, we come in contact with a small part of the universe. We see,hear, and are touched by "little chunks" of this infinite reality. We feel emotions,think thoughts, and do things in response.This book is about what we feel, think, and do and how these humanactivities affect our personal reality. Sometimes, those feelings, thoughts, andactions fill us with satisfaction. At other times, they fill us with boredom,discomfort, anxiety, or pain.Those around us are also affected by our feelings, thoughts, and actions, aswe are by theirs. We can be peaceful, supportive, and a source of strength andenergy for others. Or, we can be "vexations to the spirit," a source of disharmony,demoralization, and a drain on others' enthusiasm and joy of living.Our feelings, thoughts, and actions become part of the infinite universe.First, they become part of ourselves, of the reality we carry inside ourselves. Then,they can become part of those closest to us: our spouses and children, our partners,our co-workers, our students, our neighbors, the people we pass on the street. So,our feelings, thoughts, and actions, eventually become part of our external reality.HMOR.July2005.Muñoz.doc 13