Clouded Reality

As we grow up,
We draw conclusions
About ourselves
And the world around us
That tend to shape
And cloud our sense of reality.
The problem is that
Our conclusions
Are treated as truths,
Yet they may or may not
Actually be valid.
Our assumed truths
Are based on our interpretation
Of things that happened,
Or at least our view
Of what happened,
And are seldom questioned.
Our brain sifts
Through the input it receives
Recognizing only what supports
Its claim to reality,
And ignoring everything else.
These unexamined truths
May hide many false assumptions
That effectively run our lives.
It is vitally important
That we distinguish
And question
The truths that we hold
As self-evident,
And separate the facts
From our fictions.