The 3 Levels of Reality: Perception or Thought, Behavior, & Environment

Are perception or thought, behavior, and environment related? Does good perception or thought improve behavior, improving environment? Does bad perception or thought worsen behavior, worsening environment? Or is there a complete disconnect between these variables?

Perception Affects Behavior

Success, which is something so simple in the end, is made up of thousands of things, we never fully know what.
- Rainer Maria Rilke

Success is simple; it is also complex. It is simple, in that success consists of accomplishing your goal. It is complex, in that there are thousands of things you must do along the way to goal accomplishment. If you view success as simple, you persist confidently. If you view success as complex, you hesitate alarmingly. The former leads to accomplishment, the latter to procrastination. Therefore the trick to getting anything done is to view it as easy rather than difficult. Viewing affects doing; perception affects behavior.

Behavior Affects Environment

Karma basically means that in doing good things, good things will come to you; and in doing bad things, bad things will come to you. Karma generally applies to all human behavior. Karma is the environmental result of your behavior.

Some examples of bad karma are if you disrespect others, others will disrespect you; if you murder others, others will murder you; if you cheat others, others will cheat you; if you steal from others, others will steal from you; if you deceive others, others will deceive you.

Revenge, though not a virtue, is part of human nature. People naturally anger at injustices done to them. In serious criminal acts, the justice system attempts to punish the perpetrator by matching the punishment to the crime. For example, a murderer receives death (execution) or the death of his time (life in prison). Also, a court-ordered fine takes a thief's property or imprisonment takes his time.

Some examples of good karma are if you respect others, others will respect you; if you help others, others will help you; if you are honest with others, others will be honest with you; if you give to others, others will give to you; if you are loyal to others, others will be loyal to you.

Gratitude is part of human nature. People naturally feel grateful for favors bestowed upon them, and seek to repay the favors. For example, a neighbor would be more apt to give you food and shelter, if you gave the neighbor food and shelter in the past. Also, a coworker would be more apt to give you a loan, if you gave the coworker a loan in the past.

Oftentimes, evil deeds get rewarded and good deeds get punished in the short run; and evil deeds get punished and good deeds get rewarded in the long run. For example, a dishonest bank robber is richer than an honest banker in the short run. But in the long run, the honest banker is richer than the imprisoned bank robber. Indeed, positive behavior eventually leads to positive environment; negative behavior eventually leads to negative environment.

Thought Affects Behavior, Affecting Environment

Nature gave men two ends - one to sit on, and one to think with. Ever since then man's success or failure has been dependent on the one he used most.
- George R. Kirkpatrick

Action equals success; inaction equals failure. Action or inaction begins in thought, working its way to behavior, ending in environmental success or failure. Actively thinking about accomplishing your goal generates ideas on this. You may make many wrong turns on the road to your goal; but if you keep driving, you will get there. Oftentimes, trial and error teach best, especially if there is no road map to guide you. In contrast, inactive thinking generates nothing. You are parked, going nowhere. Trial and error play no role, since you never begin driving.

Sitting on your rear brings failure near; thinking with your brain brings successful gain.

Behavior & Environment Affect Thought

According to physics, the interaction of mass and velocity produces kinetic energy. Changing mass or velocity changes kinetic energy. Changing Mass: A car hitting you at 50 miles/hour will do more physical damage to you than a housefly at the same speed, because the former has more kinetic energy than the latter. Changing Velocity: A car hitting you at 50 miles/hour will do more physical damage to you than the same car at 5 miles/hour, because the former has more kinetic energy than the latter.

Likewise, the interaction of environment and behavior produces thought energy. Changing your environment or behavior changes your thought energy. Changing Environment: Living in a slum will thoughtfully depress you more than living in luxury. Changing Behavior: Resting away aimlessly will thoughtfully depress you more than striving toward a goal.

Hence, the interaction of luxury and goal striving produces heightened thought energy.

In summarizing, we see that perception or thought affects behavior, affecting environment - and that behavior and environment affect thought. All of these variables make up a universal reality; each of these variables makes up a particular reality.