What is real?

I haven't had much time to blog and I haven't been taking any pictures. However, I continue to do a lot of pondering. As I watch my mother, and others, slip further into dementia, I can't help but wonder about how to determine what is "real". To my mother, her large belly and great weight gain is ample (ha ha) evidence that she is pregnant. To explain it, she has decided she is the recipient of a "miracle". Russ has been talking about studies that have shown that people who believe they are lucky, or unlucky, generally are so. There is a scripture that says something like "as a man thinketh, so he is" which is a warning to watch what we think. I know people who are constantly paranoid that someone is going to attack them or steal from them causing them to take extreme security measures. On the other hand, there are young people all over the world who have unprotected sex with the totally unconcerned attitude that they won't cause pregnancy or exchange any form of disease. There are many who take risks in driving, physical activities, and even occupations with disregard for potential danger.
So, what is real? Do we know if our perspective on reality is the correct one? There is a wide range of religious beliefs from no god to many gods. Truth is established in the mouths of two or more witnesses. What constitutes a witness? Is someone who simply chooses to believe something a "witness"?
For me, I CHOOSE to believe the witnesses who walked and talked with Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. There were more than one who saw Him and heard Him. I CHOOSE to believe that His promise to return is true. I CHOOSE to believe Joseph Smith saw Him with HIS FATHER. They spoke to him and gave him instructions. I also believe the other witnesses who saw, felt, and experienced things pertinent to Joseph Smith's testimony. I CHOOSE to believe there is an "assistant" to our Father that was promised by the Savior. That would be the Holy Ghost. I CHOOSE to believe the quiet and sometimes insistent promptings I can receive when I pray earnestly originate from the Holy Spirit. My choice is to follow the Savior- to believe in Him, to believe Him, and to try to be like Him. I believe everybody gets to choose- and to receive the consequences of their choices.