What is an experience

What is an experience?

Experience is more than mere observation—it exists at the intersection of three fundamental elements: existence (the objective phenomenon), awareness (our observation), and imagination. Like an eye-shaped lens through which we view reality, our experience captures the interplay between what exists and how we perceive it, with imagination bridging the inevitable gaps created by our limited perception.

At the heart of every experience lies a dynamic relationship between three key components:

Existence/Phenomenon: The objective reality that surrounds us—tangible, physical, and real, represented by the central eye-shaped area of our perceptual field.
Awareness/Observation: Our conscious perception of reality, forming one boundary of our experiential lens. This awareness, though powerful, is inherently incomplete.
Omission: What we miss or cannot perceive, creating gaps in our understanding. These omissions are not merely empty spaces but opportunities for our minds to engage in meaning-making.

Between these elements, Imagination serves as the crucial bridge, filling the spaces between what exists and what we can observe, between what we miss and what we think we understand. This creative force transforms raw perception into rich, meaningful experience.

Our interaction with the world occurs through what I call the BENSE framework—Brain, Eyes, Nose, Skin, and Ears. While these natural sensors serve as our windows to existence, the brain acts as the master conductor, receiving and processing signals from all other sensory organs. This hierarchical relationship is crucial: each sensory organ sends its inputs to the brain, which then orchestrates our complete experiential symphony.

To illustrate how the BENSE framework operates in practice, let me share my first solo subway journey in Pittsburgh. This seemingly simple trip to a Taylor Swift laser show became an unexpectedly vivid demonstration of how our senses and imagination shape experience. The journey unfolded in distinct stages, each contributing to an escalating sense of unease:

Surface Confusion: Searching for the station entrance, confronted by unfamiliar surroundings.
Descent into Uncertainty: Navigating stairs that seemed to lead ever downward
Environmental Tension: Encountering a space that felt increasingly alienating
Peak Anxiety: Experiencing isolation in the station's depths
Final Relief: The arrival of the subway brings a return to normalcy.

Through the BENSE framework, we can map how each sense contributed to the overall experience:

What makes this experience particularly instructive is how it demonstrates the interplay between objective reality and subjective perception. The subway station itself was merely a transitional space, but through the combination of sensory inputs and imagination, it became a theater of anxiety and relief. This transformation happens in the gap between what exists and what we perceive, where imagination bridges the distance between objective reality and subjective experience.

Our experiences are not just records of what happened, but stories we tell ourselves about how we encountered the world. Through the BENSE framework, we can understand how different sensory inputs combine with our imagination to create rich, meaningful experiences. Even a routine journey can become an adventure when viewed through the lens of our perceptual framework, reminding us that every experience is a unique combination of existence, awareness, and the ever-active force of imagination.