What is perception and how do you use it?  Perception is the interpretation of “data” that is observed through your senses.  Many people use this idea of perception to form their reality.

So, what does this mean?   It can mean that you use what you perceive in the world to build a model for your belief system.  As we’ve discussed in the past, your belief system is very instrumental in forming your reality.

How you “perceive” the world and those around you is the basis for building, while being possibly slow to modify – your belief system.  And what you believe is what you “see” and what you “see” is what you perceive.  It becomes a cycle that feeds on itself to continue to strengthen what you think your already “know.”

When you observe an event, you use your senses to receive the information, while your brain processes that information so that you may form thoughts and memories about the event.  You may be watching a sporting event and wondering why the coach made a particular decision.  Others watching the same sporting event may support the coach’s decision. Situations are perceived differently for each person involved in, or people observing the situation.

One’s perception is no more and no less than allowing your senses to “open up” to all things.  However, we sometimes “throw out” the data that does not support a particular belief system.   For example, in the case of the sporting event do you fully understand what is going on with your team, as much as the coach?  You know that you do not have nearly the information the coach contains regarding his or her team, but yet you simply dismiss that fact and decide that you still know what’s best.

When it comes to other people’s lives, do you really know as much about their life as they do?  When you attempt to make decisions for others because you feel you know best, do you really have all of the information to override the decision they may have made that is contradictory to yours?

We are not saying that the person involved always knows best when someone with more experience in an area may have more background information that could pertain to the decision, but the perception that one has sometimes gets in the way.

Suppose your child wants to purchase a particular pair of shoes.  You look over the shoes and see that it is similar to a pair you once owned, which did not last as long as you felt it should.  You use that experience to tell the child that those shoes are not for her.  However, she likes them and insists on purchasing that pair of shoes.  Do you really know what’s best?  Does anyone?

The fact is, that there are no “right” and “wrong” decisions so long as you make those decisions with integrity.  Perception is the analysis of data obtained by your senses while intermixing memories and your belief system.

So, what if your belief system is “wrong?”  Now, granted we just talked about there is no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to these kinds of things, but what if your belief system is limiting your growth?  What if you are so “set in your ways” that you refuse to see the world around you?

A good example of this is the always changing technology.  Back in the day of the microwave oven, (and today), the younger generation always liked to embrace new technologies, while sometimes the older generation didn’t see the need for it.  “I don’t need a microwave, because I have an oven,”  said the grandmother.  “But grandma, you can defrost meat in it,”  replied the grandson.  “Why would I do that, I just set the meat out in the morning and it is thawed by supper time.”

The conversation continues, and the grandmother is “right” while the grandson is also “right.”  There is no need to convince the grandmother otherwise, possibly until she starts to see more examples for the use of a microwave that might make her life a little easier.  Until then, she will continue with the way that she does things.  However, the question to ask is whether or not she is open enough to the idea of such a thing, or if it somehow contradicts her belief system so that she will never see a use for such a machine.

In a world of ever-changing technology many middle to older generations are constantly being bombarded with change.  The question is whether or not one is open to change, which begins with a belief system and an openness to the world around you.

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What you perceive is translated and stored as memories to form a model for your beliefs.  The question is if you are open enough to perceive all of the beautiful things of the world that are right in front of you!

Written Fri Dec 20, 2013  8:01 – 8:20 AM