There are three parts to illusion:
Actor: the manipulator
Act: the manipulation
Audience: the manipulated
An illusion is a misrepresentation of reality. There is reality, which is an objective version of perception. Then there is illusion, which is a generally purposeful distortion of a subjective view. In this case, an illusion is meant to present an alternate reality. An actor manipulates the target audience via an illusionary act to create the intended delusional perspective for the audience. Generally, this is experienced for entertainment, such as in magic shows.
But delusions serve much more than mere entertainment. Organized religion is based almost entirely on illusion. Capitalism encourages the delusion that money buys happiness. Illusion is used in various artistic genres to express artists’ perceptions. Artists express personal perceptions through illusion in various communicative art genres. Corrupt politicians use manipulative techniques to induce votes. These require distorting facts to present an illusionary viewpoint favorable to their agenda.
Mastering the art of illusion gives rise to many dangers. A manipulated audience will find it hard to reverse held delusions. It is always best to avoid manipulation. The brain is susceptible and wired for distortion if and when the logical module managing the mind’s sensory composition is suppressed. For as long as we examine every illusionary effect through logic, we remain safe. However, an illusionary act’s success rests in the ability to fully influence the audience to accept a desired outlook. It becomes a conflict of meditative logic versus egoistic nonsense.
