DO YOU LOOK AND DON’T SEE?
How to have a wider perspective and live a holistic life?
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Nothing is absolute.
You start a new thing. Make a blueprint. Start acting on it.
You think that everything will go according to the plan.
You think that this time it is going to be a blast, I will make it.
And every time life reacts like a bitch.
Life takes its own course and your thoughts are always astray.
The thoughts are based on what you have accumulated since you were born.
Thoughts are the outcome of borrowed aspirations.
Thoughts are Ego.
You choose to see the world in a particular way and a myriad display of the future occurs in front of you.
The projection of your mind is not the project of life.
It is a projection. Faux.
You have a view because you have chosen to see this world in a particular way.
Look at the room you are sitting in, and only choose to see the colour yellow.
You will find countless yellow things around that you would have missed otherwise.
Interestingly, while you were busy looking at yellow, you had completely missed the reds.
This is how everybody is living his life.
Thinking about what it should be life is missed.
We can’t see what a bee can see or vice versa.
Both of us have different views, both of them are not true.
Nothing absolute.
Truth is something that is one for everyone.
And only truth is the vast emptiness within.
Nothing.
What an irony that people find pursuit in working hard and completely ignore what they can do effortlessly.
Conditioning.
Selective perception blinds you. It shapes a castle in the sky you call reality.
Cat-shaped Cloud is not a cat. You have chosen to call it a cat.
Let us explore this allegory of selective perception further.
What factors influence and matter, and how we can deal with them?
1) Filtering Information
Selective perception is a mental filter that allows only certain information to be processed in a certain way.
It largely depends on your conditioning.
Experience, Beliefs and Attitude.
If you have an opinion about someone, you focus only on the specific aspects of the person while completely ignoring others.
There is a pitfall in filtering information.
You tend to miss crucial information which challenges your perspective.
Growth happens when you are challenged.
Challenges bring changes.
Results.
2) Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is the most prominent effect of selective perception.
You tend to seek external approval for what you believe to be true.
Complete disregarding the opinions otherwise.
You naturally seek information that confirms the preconceived notions.
This bias leads to the reinforcement of existing beliefs and prevents individuals from considering alternative viewpoints, hindering personal and intellectual growth.
3) Cultural and Societal Influences
People are conditioned by societal norms, cultural backgrounds and media influence.
Anything that doesn\’t fit these norms is considered not normal.
How would a painter paint a picture that amazes with something new with the constraint of selective perception?
How would a scientist stumble upon a groundbreaking discovery if he chose to walk on the path of selective perception?
Cultural and Societal Influences different groups, events, and ideas.
Selective perception in this context reinforces stereotypes and prejudices.
Politicians are keeping to the bank on this opportunity.
It is a tool for polarisation.
4) Emotional Filters
People won’t listen to what you are saying until you say what they want to hear.
This is the problem faced by many reformers and change-makers in the past.
All because of emotional filters.
It distorts our perception of reality.
It’s true — people are blind in love.
Emotions have a crucial role in shaping our perceptions.
Any advocation for change is often met by fear, anger, or love can act as a filter.
People do not listen to anything bad about people they love even if it is creative criticism.
When people are emotionally charged, they tend to focus on information that amplifies their emotions, leading to impulsive decisions and biased judgments.
5) Limiting Empathy and Understanding
You look at a critical situation but don’t see what happening.
That is the danger our society lives in right now.
Children look at the ailing health of their parents but are not ready to see.
Teachers look that there is an eminent change required to reform our education system, but do not read to see the change.
Limiting empathy prevents meaningful connection and communication from people with different backgrounds and viewpoints.
Empathy requires open-mindedness and a willingness to perceive the world from diverse perspectives, which selective perception often hinders.
How do you get out of this trap of selective perception?
Don’t believe anything to be true, don’t believe anything to be false; based on external notions.
Only believe in what you have experienced.
Be open to different experiences and don’t be judgmental about it.
Next time you see someone dressed differently or saying things that are not usual for you say hello! Start a conversation.
Be aware