We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are........

 

Looking at this painting, what do you think is on this woman's mind?

Is she sad, is she pensive, is she scheming, is she remembering something, is she listening to someone perhaps?....... the are many possible interpretations.  If I gave you more information about this woman, a background story, do you think that that would influence what you "see"?

What if I told you that:

a) she has just been told that she has breast cancer?  b) she has just been told that she is pregnant?  c) she has just been told that she's got the job  d) she is a singer and she is looking at the pianist waiting for him to finish his solo  e) she is a cashier, waiting for the customer to pay his bill  f) she is a mother watching her child at play.......

“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight." (John Berger)

Our thoughts about what we see, may I suggest, affects what we think we see.

Some suggest that we understand the world around us through our own perceptions, which may lead us to ask: are our own perceptions influenced by the world around us?

If our perception of "the world" is that it's scary, uncertain, dangerous, and treacherous, ...chances are that that is what we will see. If our perception of the world is that it's interesting, exciting, full of possibilities, and mysteries, then chances are that that is what we will see.

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are", said Anais Nin.

Although perhaps not always consciously, most of us try to make "sense" of the world we live in.

(Thing is, methinks, that what makes sense to one person, may not necessarily make sense to someone else. Not only does it vary from person to person, but also from culture to culture; what may be "common sense" for one culture may be "nonsensical" to another.)

Making sense of things; perhaps can be said when our perceptions line up with what we "see".

A driver weaving in and out in peak hour traffic may be perceived as engaging in "bad and dangerous driving" until we find out that the driver is trying to get to the hospital due to a life-and-death emergency. A person slumped on a park bench next to a Pub may be perceived as a drunk, although there may be many other reasons as to why he/she is slumped on the bench.

Our past experiences, our values, our cultural backgrounds, and our core beliefs influence how we perceive things, which in turn influence what we "see".

What we see is filtered through: how we think about ourselves, others, and the world, .....and how we think about ourselves, others and the world is influenced by our childhoods, cultures, value systems and experiences.

Let's take a beetroot as an example. I love beetroots, raw, grated, steamed, it doesn't matter, I love the colour, the taste, the texture. When I see a beetroot, I see a vegetable that I love to eat.

A friend of mine however, sees something totally different, he sees a vegetable that made him puke for hours and the mere sight of a beetroot makes him feel nauseous. Why? Because when he was a kid he ate a beetroot that was "off" (bad) and gave him food poisoning.

(Even a one-off experience can influence us to such an extent that we are not willing to challenge that experience to ascertain whether our experience really was a one-off or not.)

The good news is that we can change how we see things, .....by changing our perspectives.

Instead of going with "that's just the way I see it", what if we asked ourselves: how can I see this differently?

Perhaps some people are self-serving, but not all? Perhaps some people have negative intentions, but not all? What if I wait with passing judgement on someone until I know more? What if I challenged the sources of my perceptions? (Just because XX does it this way, does that necessarily mean that's the only way?) Are there benefits to be had by changing perspectives, and if so, what do I envisage them to be?

Watching the ocean roll in, one man says to the other: "Wow, look at all those beautiful waves!"

"Yeah, and I see all the jelly fish, sharks and other deadly things swimming in them", says the other man.

"Man, look at this awesome painting!" says an art lover to his friend. "Art? You call that art? I see nothing but a mess of paint on a canvas", answers the friend. "Wow, this is a wonderful home", says the woman to her friend. "Wonderful? I see a home that is highly impractical", answers the friend.

Even if there are sharks, jellyfish and other deadly things swimming in the ocean, is it not possible for the waves to still be beautiful? Even if a canvas has a mess of paint on it, is it not still possible for it to be awesome? Even if a home is impractical is it not still possible for it to be wonderful?

 

"Miracles happen everyday, change your perception of what a miracle is and you will see them all around you." (Jon Bon Jovi)

"There is no fixed physical reality, no single perception of the world, just numerous ways of interpreting world views as dictated by one's nervous system and the specific environment of our planetary existence." (Deepak Chopra)