Perceptions
Does perception distort reality? Or is it an issue of our being unable to correctly interpret the events and actions that are a part of our reality?
For example:
You meet Tom. You like this person for whatever reason and as a result they stand out amongst the people you know, like, dislike, and just plain don’t know. Other people you work with enjoy this person’s company and as a general rule it is decided that this person is, to put it simply, likeable.
Let us say that some time later you meet another individual, Bill. You enjoy working with Bill and find out that he knows Tom. You get to talking about Tom and Bill does not have a kind word to say about him. Now, why is that?
There are a host of reasons for Bill to not like Tom – we witness this everyday when we watch the news and people comment on our President. Some people like him, others don’t, and some just don’t care.
I suppose that some people allow their perception of a person to distort how they interpret the events surrounding that individual thus dictating how well they like them. And others are completely incapable of properly interpreting the events surrounding an individual thus distorting their ability to determine if they like that person or not.
It makes me wonder, then, what is truth. And how in the world are we supposed to know one side of the coin from the other if we can’t know if what we’re perceiving is objective and correct or if it’s so heavily biased as to be utterly unreliable.
Outside of relying on maturity and experience to help determine what truth (reality) is, I really don’t have an answer.
I think I’m in a cogitative mood today.