The Fluidity of Reality: Why Anything Can Be Anything

By Stanley Ngugi, May 30th, 2025

For days, a singular thought has resonated with me, echoing with an almost paradoxical simplicity: "anything can be anything." It's not a statement of chaos, but rather a profound observation about the inherent fluidity of reality, shaped less by objective facts and more by the intricate interplay of context, perception, and the subtle shifts in our approach. This notion challenges our ingrained tendency to categorize and fix the nature of things, inviting us to see the immense malleability within every experience, problem, and even life's most inevitable events.

We often navigate the world assuming a fixed reality – a problem is difficult, an event is tragic. Yet, upon closer inspection, we discover that the same "thing" can transform dramatically based on who is observing it, how it's framed, or even the internal state of the perceiver.

The Research Labyrinth: From Months to Days

Consider the familiar scenario of a research problem. I've spent months wrestling with a complex intellectual knot, feeling trapped in a labyrinth of data and dead ends. The frustration builds, the progress stalls, and the problem assumes the identity of an insurmountable obstacle. Then, a break. A fresh perspective, a moment of detachment, or simply returning to it after a period of incubation. Suddenly, the same problem can be cracked in a matter of days, sometimes even hours.

What changed? The problem itself remained unaltered. The data was the same, the core questions identical. The transformation occurred within my approach and perception:

• Cognitive Reframing: Time away allowed the mind to re-sort information, discard unhelpful assumptions, and forge new connections. The problem, initially seen as a tangled mess, could suddenly be perceived as a logical sequence of steps.
• Methodological Nuance: A slight pivot in strategy, a different tool employed, or a new line of inquiry opened a pathway previously obscured by habit or bias.
• Inner State: Perhaps the most potent factor. Reduced stress, renewed energy, or a shift in mental clarity can unlock capabilities that were dormant under pressure. The mind operates on a different "frequency," more receptive to solutions.
• The "Beginner's Mind": Approaching the problem as if it were entirely new, without the baggage of past failures or pre-conceived notions, can dissolve mental blocks that months of effort couldn't dislodge.

In this instance, the "difficulty" of the problem was not an inherent quality but a relational one, defined by my interaction with it. The objective challenge remained, but its experiential identity — its "whatness" — completely shifted.

The Inevitable Transition: Death as Emotional and Normal

Perhaps the most potent illustration of this fluidity lies in the stark contrast of death. In movies and in real life, death can be an event of overwhelming emotional devastation. The loss of a loved one, a sudden tragedy, evokes profound grief, sadness, and a raw, tearing sense of absence. Here, death is deeply personal, an emotional cataclysm that redefines a universe.

Yet, death can also be perceived as "normal." In certain professions—doctors, emergency responders, soldiers—or within specific societal contexts, the frequent encounter with mortality can lead to a different emotional register: professional detachment, resignation, or even a pragmatic acceptance. From a spiritual perspective, where the soul is considered eternal, physical death transforms from an ultimate tragedy into a mere transition, a shedding of form. The fact remains: a life has ended. But the meaning and emotional impact of that ending are profoundly variable, contingent on the observer's relationship, beliefs, and the surrounding circumstances.

The Philosophical Dance: Perception as Co-Creator

These examples illuminate a deeper philosophical truth: our experience of reality is not simply a passive reception of external facts. It is an active co-creation, heavily influenced by our internal landscape.

• Perception Shapes Reality: Our brains don't just see; they interpret. They filter, organize, and assign meaning based on our past experiences, beliefs, and current emotional states. A "fact" is filtered through a lens of perception, emerging as a distinct experience.
• The Illusion of Fixedness: We often mistake the snapshot of our current perception for the immutable essence of a thing. We label a person "difficult," a task "impossible," a situation "hopeless," and in doing so, we unwittingly reinforce that fixed identity. But the "difficult" person might be experiencing immense stress, the "impossible" task might yield to a new tool, and the "hopless" situation might reveal an unforeseen opportunity with a shift in perspective.
• Context is King: The environment, surrounding circumstances, and the specific vantage point fundamentally alter how something is perceived. A piece of code is buggy in one environment, perfect in another. A sentence is offensive in one cultural context, innocuous in another.

This concept resonates with ideas of non-duality, suggesting that apparent opposites (difficult/easy, tragic/mundane) are not entirely separate but complementary aspects of a unified whole, their perceived distinctions arising from our limited focus.

Cultivating the Fluid Mindset: Living with Creative Agency

The understanding that "anything can be anything" is not an invitation to relativism or chaos. Instead, it is an incredibly empowering realization that grants us immense creative agency in our lives. If our experience is not entirely dictated by external events, but heavily influenced by our internal state and approach, then we possess a powerful lever for transformation.

To cultivate this "fluid mindset," we can:

• Question Assumptions: Whenever a problem feels intractable or an emotion overwhelming, ask: "Is this truly fixed, or am I perceiving it through a limiting lens?"
• Seek Multiple Perspectives: Engage with others, research alternative viewpoints, or simply step away and return with a fresh mind. How else could this be seen?
• Embrace Iteration: In creative endeavors and problem-solving, recognize that the first approach is rarely the only one. Be willing to scrap, reframe, and start fresh, knowing that a subtle shift can unlock immense progress.
• Mindful Awareness: Pay attention to your own internal state. Are you approaching a challenge with clarity, or with frustration? How might shifting your internal state change your external experience?
• Focus on Agency: Remind yourself that while some external events are beyond control, your reaction, interpretation, and subsequent actions are largely within your power.

The world is not a static canvas; it is a dynamic, interactive landscape. By understanding that "anything can be anything" — that its perceived nature is deeply intertwined with our context and perception — we unlock the potential to navigate life with greater flexibility, resilience, and creative power. It is an invitation to shed rigid labels and embrace the rich, multifaceted, and ever-transforming nature of our reality.