My last blog post explored the endlessly fascinating and puzzling conundrums posed by quantum physics. This quirky science is really challenging our understanding of reality. What really is reality? Here are observations on the topic:

“Reality: (noun) all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you; ‘his world was shattered’; ‘we live in different worlds’; ‘for them demons were as much a part of reality as trees were.’”
From WordNet lexical database of English, Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University

“Given that external reality is a fiction, the writer’s role is almost superfluous. He does not need to invent the fiction because it is already there.”
J.G. Ballard (1930 – ), a British writer who spent four years of his childhood in a Japanese prison camp, an experience described in his 1984 book Empire of the Sun

“There are intangible realities which float near us, formless and without words; realities which no one has thought out, and which are excluded for lack of interpreters.”
Natalie Clifford Barney (1876 – 1972), American expatriate who lived, wrote, and hosted a literary salon in Paris

“What is meant by reality? It would seem to be something very erratic, very undependable – now to be found in a dusty road, now in a scrap of newspaper in the street, now a daffodil in the sun.”
Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941), English novelist, critic, and essayist

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”
John Lennon (1940 – 1980), English songwriter, musician, and founding member of The Beatles

Space is Running Out for My December 3 Complimentary Webcast

Today’s blog post was adapted from Growing @ the Speed of Change. I’m delivering a no charge webcast on Dec. 3rd at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time/GMT -05:00) that will explore key themes found in my new book. Perceptions and creating our reality will be part of what we cover. We now have over 600 sites signed up for this one hour complimentary “Leading in Turbulent Times” webcast. There is still space available, but it’s getting tight. This high-level overview will give you, your team, and your organization practical tips and techniques to apply immediately. Click here for more information including a detailed agenda and registration.