Perception

In my blogs I am going to do research on the topic that I decide to discuss prior to talking about it. To be more informed and better convey my ideas that aren’t solely emotion but have ration backing.

For the past couple of days I have been thinking about the idea of perception. How we perceive things? What is perception? and Why do we have perception?

I find the concept of the human mind ability to perceive an experience, place, and people to be really profound. The way we perceive experiences alter our minds permanently whether we are conscious of it or not. Our perceptions are made by past experiences and those experiences play a role in how we look at new experiences. I think the concept of human perception is deeply systematic and is a biological mechanism to coop with our surroundings and new experiences.  I guess the question that I have is how can something that is so regulated in our unconscious minds  be beneficially in a fluid and diverse culture? or Does perception have a more profound and establish role in our lives?

Just the other day one of my co-workers asked me whether I was a “wild child” growing up simply because I have tattoos. The question didn’t upset me but it did make me think. My tattoos aren’t visible with a shirt on but what if they were and I didn’t work with her. Would we be friends if I were to randomly see her on the street. I think the way that people perceive you can have  a huge influence in your future. It determines who your friends are, what jobs you get, and possibly who you decide to love. Because we are always comparing new experiences to old ones we have to ensure that all first experiences are great and that can never be the case. If my boss had a bad experience with black guys with dreadlocks I may have never gotten my job. Then I wouldn’t have meet all the people that I know or have all the experiences that I had at this particular job. So I think perceptions are truly profound in that it is shaping the frame work of our lives and we are unconscious of any of it. Even if one was to have a bad experience in the past and gave something or someone a try that reminds them of the experience it all has a lasting effect. Now, that individual, instead of getting to know that person initially you now have to over come the preconceived notions you have of the person/thing because of a past experience.  This matters because you have to basically fight your natural inclinations to flee the situation and trust the individual, whereas new experiences do not have to over come this barrier.

So does perception have a more innate spiritual application? We will in a society that has various social norms. We live in a state of constant fear and panic, we are always concerned about our safety and well-being. Society has programmed us to fear everything. Perception, for the most part, is based on a physical experiences. So how does this benefit us in a fluid society where love hurts, people die, and things are never as ideal as we want them? Should we fray away from forming friendships, and relationships due to past experiences or preconceived notions of people we do not know? Maybe perceptions have a higher purpose. Maybe they are the spiritual traffic signs in our lives that direct us. Maybe perceptions aren’t as systemic as I might think. Maybe we truly perceive peoples souls and preconceived notions of people are our minds way of criminally investigating an individual’s souls that might match a previous experience. There is no doubt, for me, that preconceived notions shape our understanding of people but given its purpose (whatever you deem its “purpose” to be) maybe we should except it and go with it. Maybe its just telling us that a person may not be spiritually compatible and not worth pursuing. I don’t know how any of it works by I am intrigued. I am going to think of this every time I meet someone and consider their friendship, or want to pursue someone. I have to remember that making the right or wrong decision of getting to know someone will change my life. I guess it just depends on what type of change I’m looking for that day.

Gnostic Euphoria

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