Is Reality what you believe it to BE?

The short answer is: "No"
And the reason for this is that reality is what it is no matter what you believe it to be. But what you believe it to be affects the reality of what it is and changes it in some way, shape or form, but not necessarily turning it into what you believe it to be.

So, if reality always is not what any of us believe it to be then how does that actually work?

It works by humans individually and as small or large groups choosing to agree as group of two or more that something is what it is whether or not it ACTUALLY is what they describe it to be.

One excellent example of this happens when more than one person witnesses something, anything.

If you have any 12 people witness something and then take those people apart immediately without them discussing it at all, you might be completely surprised at what they might describe. Because whatever someone describes is colored by their state of mind at that moment, all the things they have been thinking about or dreaming about, and everything that has ever happened to them and whatever others have described happening to them as well. So, any 12 people witnessing anything and not ever talking about it will ALWAYS describe very different things according to their life experience up to that point.

Question: is any one of the 12s description of what actually happened reality? No. They are only 12 descriptions of their concept of what happened. But it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with reality at all.

So, if none of any human's description of reality is actually the ultimate reality then what is going on?

answer: People describe reality and other people listen to other people describe reality but none of what any person describes is actual reality but only one of potentially millions of descriptions of that very same reality.

So, if no one is actually describing reality what does that say about us?

answer: Maybe it says that most of us are good story tellers and you know we all like a good story.

And even history means "His Story".