Individual Perception
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How do you see the world? Through which lens do you - whether consciously or otherwise - view the events that transpire around you? That’s the theme I’ve been pondering for a while now.
I’ve come to realise in my nearly 30 years on Planet Earth just how much weight the notion of individual perception carries. It’s easy to get swept up in the day-to-day singular and largely sufficient nature of Western culture, as it’s through individual experience that we make sense of the reality of the world around us.
All of this may seem obvious to most, I’m not exactly blowing conceptions here, but it’s uncanny how often we neglect to apply this mindset to the people around us, myself included.
I used to question family members for not sharing my point of view, or judge friends for acting civil to people I wasn’t fond of. “They’ve been nothing but alright to me” they would say. At the time, that reasoning was lost on me, a part of me even questioned their loyalty. But now it seems to have struck more of a chord. I’m not saying go out and befriend a known thug because he held a door open for you once, but it’s useful to apply your own set of standards based on personal experience, or form your own opinions, not take on those set by your peers.
In some respects, we’ve lost faith in our intuition. While I’m a big believer in forging your own identity, is it any wonder we look to others for inspiration or cues? Through media outlets far and wide, we’re taught a myriad of things from a variety of sources, all largely designed to spoonfeed a particular consensus. No doubt that’s why we warm to trends and feelings of familiarity - we seek acceptance through common ground. It’s comforting, even natural.
Yet, it’s our perception that distinguishes us from one another. All of us are unique, and that should be celebrated. It’s healthy to be curious and open-minded; no one person sees the world through the same eyes as another. Billions of individual perceptions of life. It can be an overwhelming thought, but truly consider that for a moment. It’s miraculous, if not magical.
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