Same Same but different

The concept of 'world' is an ambiguous term, and is generally taken to refer to a set of structured systems and processes, along with cultural and physical experiences. 

But what is the world, really? 

And can we, you and I, say that we are in the same world?

We can make the assumption that we share our experience of world with others.

But we do not.

The world that I see is unique to me. 

The world that you see is unique to you. 

Nonetheless, we think we are experiencing the same thing.

And then we use words to express our perspective.

Unfortunately, that gets us into more trouble, as words are unable to adequately describe the uniqueness of each individual world in a unique way by definition. 

Each descriptive expression is shared and exists in the collective consciousness. It is impossible to rely on common words to explain unique experiences.

Let me share an example of tasting honey to illustrate.

A rich and unique inner experience, such as one of tasting honey, cannot be put into words in a way that represents the experience itself.  

Terms such as 'sweet', 'rich', 'sticky', 'intense', 'delicate', and 'toffee' are often used to describe honey's taste.

However, if I want to know about honey, reading these words will not help me to understand the taste of honey. 

To know about the taste, I've got to taste.

If you bring in a Professor of Honey, if there is such a person, could you or I trust what they say about honey if they have not tasted it?

Even after studying for 20 years, if they have not tasted honey, they cannot know about honey.

Even if the Professor knows the chemical constituents, the manufacturing process and the biological cycle of bees, this knowledge is not very valuable if we want to know about honey's taste. 

Perhaps it's secondary information, but it cannot be used as primary data to inform us about the taste of honey.

I'd argue that the Professor knows less about honey's taste than a child who has just tasted a spoon of honey.  

Going back to unique experiences then, it is impossible to understand anothers perspective unless you have tasted their experience. 

Tasting someone else's experience.

It sounds impossible. 

It probably is impossible.

It's often called walking a mile in anothers shoes. It sounds feasible until you realise just how far a mile is with shoes that don't fit.

When we try to explain a unique perspective, using words, theory, and book knowledge only take us so far. 

We can talk about honey, but it's only in tasting that the experience of honey's taste becomes real.

And even then, the experience of tasting honey varies, despite a guarantee that the honey is constant. 

The most powerful teacher, then, is experience, but we can only experience through the perspective of our own physical body.

That makes the experience personal.

Unique.

And so demonstrates that we each live in our own world.

I acknowledge the irony of this article. 

Experiences which combine feelings, opinions, and beliefs are extremely rich and deep, and yet subtle and complex. I've attempted to use words to describe the concept of a unique world perception from an individual perspective, while also arguing that it is difficult to convey unique perceptions, feelings and nuances with words.