In this post, we discuss how the two different ways to view perceived reality lead to two different ways of connecting with others. As we discussed in a previous post, if the mind and senses are separated from each other, and the phenomenal world is perceived using only the mind, it becomes a cognitive bias. And it does not become a cognitive bias if the mind and senses are considered as a whole.
These two models of understanding perceived reality lead to two fundamentally different ways of connecting with other beings. If other beings are not connected with using sensory perception, they can only be connected with the mind, i.e., they become an abstraction. We believe that this is what, in many cultures, is called connecting via the spirit, where the spirit is the energy that maintains equilibrium in the mind, body, and senses. Note that using this model, one may connect with the deceased or physically away, by remembering them via their actions, the work they did, etc.
If perceived reality is not characterized as a cognitive bias, others can be connected with via the senses, and this leads to connecting with others through material means, such as material transactions, business, indulging in vices together, etc.