Occurrence

How can we prove that something is really happening right now—or that it truly happened in the past? We all rely on our senses and thoughts, generated in that small, wrinkled organ: the brain. But the brain can lie to us. In fact, it lies to us many times throughout our lives. Under intense stress or emotional impact, the brain often avoids reality by creating illusions—protecting that fragile little box inside us. The brain can be deceived, and so it cannot be considered a perfect tool for recognising or understanding the world.

Sometimes, when I travel for more than a week, I begin to feel as though my previous life was a dream, and that what I’m living now is real. I’m confused by this feeling. It used to happen all the time when I studied in Japan. Once a year, I would return to my mum’s house in Korea and stay for a month. After a week or so, as I started to readjust to life in Korea, I would wonder about my life in Japan—as if those moments had been a distant dream.

Even though I stayed in touch with my friends online, I couldn’t trust my own thoughts anymore. Who can confirm that what I experienced actually happened? And if the event was deeply personal, then no one but me can verify it. But the problem is—I can’t fully trust myself either. I know that I sometimes retreat into fantasy and distort reality. What if everything was just an illusion? What if I was simply staying still, dreaming all along?

“I think, therefore I am” may prove that I exist—but it says nothing about whether anything—or anyone—else does.