The reason why illusions are deceiving is that they take the shape of reality. Without a deeper observation or examination a person may base his whole life on things that seem important but are ultimately valueless. It would be a waste for one to invest his time, energy and resources on things that are not real. Illusions, as much as they resemble the reality never solve any of the human challenges but they sometimes give false hope to a person who mistakes them for the reality.
Take a hypothetical example of a person who is stranded in the desert on a sunny day. He is extremely thirsty and desperately needs a drink of water. When he looks around he sees what seems like a pool of water right ahead of him, unknown to him it is a mirage caused by refraction of light. The person may then pursue the mirage for so long that he eventually collapses of dehydration and exhaustion.
It is a good thing that children are taught about mirages while still in primary school and they understand that the pools of water seen on tarmac roads or in deserts are not real. Unfortunately, there are other illusions that are not yet exposed and which relate to more serious matters of life. Following these illusions not only drains one's energy and resources but also makes life a desperate endeavour to nowhere. This following of deceiving illusions was expressed by Prophet Isaiah in a rhetoric question, "Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages on what does not satisfy?"
Seeing illusions for what they are prevents someone from misguidedly investing his time, attention and resources where they cannot yield anything. Getting rid of illusion, or rather knowing something to be unreal, is necessary for one to live wisely.
Unlike illusions, which can be seen with the first glance, sometimes reality is hard to grasp, and sometimes it may seem to be totally illogical. For this reason humans remain predisposed to follow an appealing illusion than a harsh or seemingly illogical reality.
If man is to live a worthy life, he must look beyond the shell or the appearance of things, discard illusions no matter how hard it may be and embrace reality despite of its perceived ugliness.
Isaiah 55:2 NKJV
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BEYOND THE SHELL
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