This is not a new idea. And it's something we can understand and relate to.
So why am I thinking about it now?
I've been thinking about (and working on) how we perceive the things we focus on, and how it affects us.
I often have a lot of deep & meaningful talks with my brothers about mindset, and how it first colours your thoughts, and then your entire world.
And we can't change reality- but we can definitely change perception.
Our reality involves both things we can control, and things we can't control.
The AA mantra of focusing on things you can control and leaving the rest i.e. "...accept the things I cannot change." has been a staple for people who's problem space has included their entire reality. Where simple, "coarse-grained" approach would yield the best results.
But you can go futher.
The "things you can control" subset usually involve things like your mindset, or outlook, or your daily habits, what you read, how much sleep you get etc.
Also in this list is your perception of the world. That's something you control. That's all up to you.
This says nothing of "consequences" of your perceptions e.g. perceiving gravity as a myth, or something that doesn't apply to you will result in pretty dire "real" consequences.
But that whole set of thinking aside, the fact you now have a model of the real world (your perception), within your control, you're pretty much in the drivers seat for experiencing the world as you want to i.e. without fear, or hurt, or pain.
So I leave this post with some stoic wisdom from Marcus Aurelius:
"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”