Invented Worlds
We live in invented worlds and cannot help but do so.
The world is surprisingly consistent. If you stick a pin in your eye, it will hurt every time. Step out in front of a 40-ton truck speeding at 60 miles per hour, and your world will come to an end. This consistency is in sharp contrast with the invented worlds we create in our attempts to control reality. Religions are obviously the best example of invented worlds with various alternatives to drab reality offered as incentives to join. Enlightenment, salvation, nirvana and many other variations tempt people to buy into invented worlds. The inventions are not just alternative experiential realities, but systems and dogma that usually have no basis in reality. Most people need these invented worlds because the actual world is a harsh, unforgiving place. The invented worlds do serve a purpose in this sense, although there is inevitable friction between reality and fantasy.