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Perception is a vast topic in philosophy, sciences and psychology. Today I have posted some simple statements about perception in practical terms as it relates to our interaction with ourselves, others and various atmospheres and environments we encounter.
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When we perceive with clarity, we can see someone newly and not through our old filters of how they once were ... or how they may have responded to us in certain circumstances or environments in the past. How much can change? People are capable of amazing transformations ... we must be sure we really know someone before we assume they are as they have always been.
If we approach others that know someone or once knew someone and ask opinions about this person, we must be cautious about making assumptions that this information is 100% accurate. Sometimes it is, to be sure ... sometimes it is not. We often perceive others through our own dirty mirrors and see in them the things we project outward and disown within ourselves. Other times, if/when we know ourselves well, we can see others equally clearly ... as our mirrors are cleaner. Be aware of distortion!
When people or things alter and we are unable to see these changes, it is a reflection of our own unconsciousness and sleep-walking patterns as unaware beings. Due to our own issues, we may be sure that we know someone ... meanwhile we neither know them deeply nor do we know ourselves.
When something is presented to us and we are unable to see through its glamour ... or its falseness ... or its trickery ... or its ignorance, it is the reflection of the same things mentioned above ... our own distorted mirrors ... our own unconsciousness ...
In the same room with others, we will perceive things according to our own level of being, level of awareness etc. When we react to someone because they point out things we have missed that was going on right in front of them, it is simply our ignorance showing through ... our psychological buffers (buffers are amazing things, they literally create psychological blind spots to perceiving things as they are) ... our ego gets in the way! ... in other words, we often react to things because of our self-importance ... we are unable to accept that we are wrong and our perception of what is before us is not accurate. It is vital that we work to correct this, as we could potentially be ripe for the ignorant manipulations of others ... as well as being ripe to lies we unconsciously tell ourselves.
When someone says something about us that is simply not true, it ought not be as important to us as if WE were to believe something that is not true about our own self. Work to be free of the concerns of what others think of you ... imagine about you ... gossip about you ... perceive about you ... judge about you ... Care more about working to come to know yourself better than anyone else knows you. Once you reach this self-knowing, all concern drops away and there is inner peace ... acceptance and further growth.
When we do not desire to see the truth about ourselves in the moment, we are self-deceivers. We can often see this in action: Simply tell someone directly what you see them doing in the moment in a non-threatening way ... if your mirrors are truly clean and you are seeing clearly in that moment, and they do not see themselves clearly, they will disagree ... if they have a self-important image, they will show a subtle postural shift (you have now triggered them and they are about to fall into an unconscious pattern), followed by a behaviour to match it, and you will be able to tell that a part of their psyche does not want to hear what you are saying ... or simply, they may not wish for you to see them as they are. In these cases, it is very difficult to convince someone of what they are doing or how they are behaving in that moment. It may not be the right time for you to pursue this, and often, if you do, you may be met with subtle or highly aggressive behaviour. Simply step back, back off and realize that it is a part of the person's buffer system, inner resistance, reluctance to see in their own mirror, and a sign that their psyche may simply not be ready to deal with the truth you are presenting. It is also possible that the person may be aware of what you are talking about, but simply does not wish to own up to that to you ... this is a sign that they have a self-image with you that they do not wish to have disrupted for some reason.
Also as you work to apply this ... remember to apply it yourself first ...watch yourself ... clean your own mirrors first ... discover your own postural changes and behavioural shifts when you are triggered by someone or something .... find your own buffers and work to remove them .... all of the above can be improperly applied if/when we are not working with clean mirrors ourselves. Know thyself first ... and then you will know/understand and perceive others and everything around you even better.
