Reading 5" "The Aleph"

Jorge Luis Borges' "The Aleph" was a blur between reality and fiction. I had a hard time deciphering whether or not this story was based on a personal experience or if it was entirely made-up. Some of the conversation and his characters felt as if they were based on people, whereas the experience of the aleph seems too impossible to comprehend it being a part of reality. The thing I found most intriguing was the idea of the aleph. Never before have I heard of such a point in space, making the concept even more interesting. When the protagonist discovers the aleph, his visions contain a multitude of things. Places, people, memories, things, ideas, images all resulting in what was a rush of mixed wonder and pity. Though hard to describe, quite possibly the ultimate "rollercoaster" of emotions. That in itself almost makes me wonder if the experience was literally like that, or if the aleph stands as a metaphor. If so, is it an encouragement to review and reflect upon humanity, as well as imagination? I'm not sure... I also found the postscript at the end of the story ironic, and it further seemed to support the idea that the story may be non-fiction. It felt real as I read it, but then again, that is often the purpose of stories.