What's real? And what isnt?

(something i wrote in my free time.. when i was bored.. although most of the idea came from a book that i read..)
How can you tell what is real and what is not? How do you know that the words you are reading now are real? I am sure that for most of us - we are 100% sure of what is real around us and what is not. I used to think so too. Until I read an article that changed my views.

Before we try to make sense of all this, let’s try to define ‘reality’. Reality is anything that is real (a very simple definition). Now what is ‘real’? You can refer to anything as real if it exists. That means that if you can prove that something exists then you can prove that it is real.

Science teaches us that everything in the universe exists in one of three forms of matter – either solid, liquid or gas form. Again, we know that matter is made of atoms and molecules. Atoms and molecules are made of electrons, protons and neutrons. What are electrons, protons and neutrons made of? No idea. I don’t think anyone has gone that far yet. They are simply defined as tiny particles with charges.

Here we are, at a point where I can say that electrons, protons and neutrons don’t exist and you can’t disprove me. Tracing this backward, if they don’t exist, matter doesn’t exist and neither does anything else in the universe. Hence, nothing really exists.

Now I will consider another side of this argument. Some of you can say that electrons, protons and neutrons do exist because scientists have seen them. So allow me to take you into the art of vision.

When you look at something, you can see it. But ‘how’ are you seeing it? Light falls on the object and then into your eyes and on your retina. The light is converted into electrical signals that are sent through your nerve and all the way upto your brain. And it is actually the image that your brain creates inside your head using chemicals and stuff that you see. So basically you see objects inside a dark dark corner of your brain inside your skull.

Now, to be sure that you are seeing the right image inside your head, we have to assume that you are a perfect human being with no defects in your nerves and with no mental problems. This is impossible. Have you done tests? And if you have, did you ask your doctor how accurate it is? And what if your doctor is not mentally stable himself? This is where the ‘big’ question mark appears.

You could be imagining everything around you. You could be hallucinating right now. Today morning when you woke up and looked in the mirror, what if you imagined your own image in the mirror. That means you have no idea what you look like. In fact, it is possible that you have no idea what anything looks like. And if you argue that you and your friend see the same thing, so it should be right. How can you prove to me that you and your friend are totally fit and perfect? Also, I would say that it is impossible to prove that the world is dominated by fools and idiots and that the people locked up in the mental hospitals are the real sane ones. Think about it!!