Perceptions of Reality

Lets pose a scenario. You enter the subway platform to notice 2 people arguing. One is clearly yelling their lungs out at the other. Wow, how could someone be so rude!? You can’t really make out what they are saying on the busy train platform, the subway is a loud place. But there is clearly a submissive person and an active person here. From a distance this looks like bullying. You walk over to get a closer listen, your train is still 4-5 minutes away.

I want to snapshot the current perception of reality right here, our minds are capable of creating a lot of information in a very short amount of time. The information created is based on information processed from the collective but also our own. We not only see & hear, we sense a level of energy that is transferred and we understand this on a level deeper than physical reality. Why is it that yelling like this creates a negative energy charge within us? If you have noticed, feelings are charges of energy through your system. Thoughts provoke emotion which is ‘energy in motion’.

Ok so back to the story, we get closer and then as we do we notice there is a child in the hands of the yeller, hidden behind the subway pillar. Again this creates another perception of reality. Wait, was this child the creator of the screaming for their obvious carer or guardian? Now with this snapshot, we already start to perceive a whole new range of scenarios, you may start to feel some compassion for the person who is yelling. You may not? Depends totally on your own life.

Even the smallest piece of information here adds to the perception of reality. We are constantly analysis life through a lens. Our own lens, based on our own experiences of life, beliefs, values & everything we have known to be our existence. Its often not realised how much we all differ in our life perceptions. This is why 2 people fall in love. They are exactly the same people with everyone else, but compatibility shows the individuality that exists within us all. (Not going into the mechanics and fundamentals of love here, maybe another article).

As you approach, you start hearing the conversation, the man yelling at the other man is rambling on about why the other man is wearing a t-shirt. The T-shirt has a picture of a childhood cartoon character smoking a cigarette. This has offended the man as he does not want his child to see this sort of thing.

So each informational piece adds a layer. Now the situation above can have you take an emotional side either way depending on your own views and values. Some may agree with the yelling, others may think its unwarranted. Each layer of information is processed by a part of our mind, body & spirit. We analyse and compute within seconds how we feel and think about things. But do we ever really understand why?

Self reflection is a lost art. Understanding yourself and your own reactions automatically allows you to understand the human like reactions of others. We often see the world as a play, a game of sorts, where we de-humanise other individuals. Often creating others in our reality as fictional characters. Empathy is something that is not resound in everyone & often it should be.

Back to the story, the conversation finishes. You then think, wow that was a bit much for a man just wearing a tee. I mean, we can’t all stop expressing ourselves. What about the violent nature of our TV & billboards in certain places. Would that not be harming to a child as well?

The gentlemen with the offensive tee walks away, there’s still 3 minutes until your train arrives. The yelling stops, the man with the child turns left and looks at you, there is a look in his eyes. He walks over and explains to you that he has suffered childhood trauma where his father wore a similar style of clothing and abused him. He does not want his child to see this. Now this is totally based on his own personal views and perceptions of his own reality. His past has triggered a reaction. The man with the tee really just wanted to wear a funny t-shirt. Two total opposite perceptions of reality existing within a moment, built through a lifetime of understanding.

So would that piece of information allow you to see a window into this man’s life? Potentially? What if you had never suffered trauma yourself, how could you know how it would feel? The point is there are several layers to each human being, interaction & the world we live in. People these days believe reality is exactly as it is but underneath the order is a layer of chaos that we may not understand.

Remember, we are all human. With our own stories and lives. Understand that there is a human being in each interaction so we can stop the mistakes of the past. Do you see how a conversation on a subway could have been years in the making? We want a better world for us all. Our limits to chaos do not have boundaries. We are all potentially one really bad day away from our own lives changing, our life perceptions being altered. Your reality is merely a perception. However within that perception are deeper layers of understanding. What if you had been beaten up by a man wearing that exact same shirt. For a moment, it would trigger a flashback of the event. So each layer of life is constantly adding to the perceptions we paint.

We have a level of perception of ourselves as well, we are always so high and mighty in our own eyes. That everyone should see the world exactly as we do. Others are the total opposite, they feel they do not have worth, that their views and opinions are not valid and voicing their own expressions is a waste of time.

So next time you are out, treat everyone has human. Understand that your own reality is a perception, have self reflection. Understand you are not always right, you have the capacity to be wrong, very wrong to a point of blindness. But you also have the capacity to be humble, good, caring and empathetic towards others. The key is self growth, it ultimately leads to a better world. Understand that we can truly have discussions with each other, debate different points of view and challenge each other constructively. Too often I see people get defensive, egos rising & each debate is automatically seen as an argument.

Human beings should look to achieve a collective good, that is what has created the society we have today. If it was not for order we would not function and create the life we all love and cherish. Order is the farmer getting up each morning to ensure the crops feed you, you at your work going the extra mile for the customer who needs help. The gift you give your friend because he/she has been nice to you. It creates the life we love, chaos is the opposite.

Don’t take it for granted. Understand each facet of your most basic existence has been built of the ideas of others. The very life you love is fuelled by the nature around you. Collective power is way stronger than individual. However your perception is that you are seperate from everyone, you are somehow better, much better, not realising you are actually a product of a society that is fuelling your existence. If you are a good person, you do the same back. You say thank you, you give way, you assist with the little things in life. The little things add up.

Perceptions define reality in so many ways. There are absolutes in our cosmos but we are bound by our senses and within those relatives are multiple doors, openings and windows to see the world. Our perceptions differ to animals on each level, from insects to birds to bears. These are the many faces that form the perceptions of reality.