Anything we perceive is akin to funhouse mirrors. Our brain is
like that; taking in stuff from the outside and it bounces
around, forming stereotyped patterns to help us make sense of
things. [because our brains are too tiny to take in the Universe
in all of its uniqueness]
So, we have words and even before words, we have images and
memories and smells, all compressed patterns of reality that we
compare current inputs to.
Yet, we're more than just our bodies and minds. We're
fundamentally social creatures. Babies die if not socialized,
even if later on they lose social contact.
Once we can "talk to ourselves" in our brains, we've got enough
to work with for a lifetime, although it's nice to get further
input.
