Perception Reality And The Search For Truth
My father was a business man. He did many rank things, and it protects me to think of him as dead even though he isn’t.
From a young age, I was always told “perception equals reality,” but I always had a very distinct feeling that this was simply groundless. The truth, I felt, was greater than what one might think it is, or what one can even comprehend. While I still acquire to this belief, I understand the value of the expression, and the harm possible when a person chooses to take “perception equals reality” as a mantra or life philosophy.
If it’s true, the world is one ample marketing ploy. If people deem one thing (about a person, company, government, or religion), then it is taken as tangible and real. This is a powerful tool; a self-empowering impetus for advancement, but it is very dangerous. If others perceive a business person, politician, lawyer, husband, teacher, or religious authority to be competent and knowledgeable, then others will follow.
When combined with a culture of dismay [terrorists! disease! weapons! bankruptcy!] it is easy to follow this mantra of character-building into complete chaos. The faces we present intentionally to others to alter their perception though these faces are not ours-these dreams we keep hidden, the songs we never sing-cripple us in the face of a real tragedy.
The stock market is falling. Was it ever real? Perception equals reality, especially in business, and truthfully, stocks only represent the faith of multiple people in the competence of a company. A stockholder puts up money to represent her or his confidence in a company, essentially buying the reality created by corporations. Stability of government operates in the same fashion.
Even the once-formidable American dollar is nothing more than paper. It’s printed with pride and nationalistic images to which Americans assign meaning. The value of this paper might be backed by gold. Perhaps this paper means more because a black man may secure the presidency. What if it means more to me because a hard-earned dollar meant so much to my immigrant ancestors? Everything has assigned meaning: crosses, guns, swastikas, flags, beauty…even natural acts like sex, and unnatural acts such as genocide. These images (like the swastika) can have various meanings over time and space. Some images (such as a cross) may provide comfort to some, but inspire disgust in others.
Applying the perception equals reality mantra to these strong symbols can cause one to assume the power of assigning their possess meaning to these items and deeds. Perhaps something is only this way [powerful! offensive! wrong!] if I think it is. There are, for example, feminists and African-Americans who use very strong (and otherwise offensive words) amongst others like themselves in hopes of removing the generally popular assigned meaning from a given word. The thought is empowering, but often misunderstood. I can’t say I would agree with someone else using that terminology to, about, or around me, regardless of intent.
That is, however, because of my perception. I cannot divorce myself from the fact that I inherently feel (and was stringently taught) that certain words are altogether gross to use because they will hurt other people. I have a human empathy when others are hurt by words and deeds, though society shows me it is sometimes a weakness to display such empathy.
My perception, therefore, enables me in the best and worst of ways to judge others for using those words, even if I understand their intent.
It is the instinct-the ultimate need to perceive things and judge them, even for survival purposes-that drives us to create realities for others. What would happen if everything crashed…not just an administration or an economy, but something so phenomenal or abhorrent that we completely lost our ability to gawk things for some time? Would we remain in a daze like weeks following September 11th, able to allow our sincere, nonpartisan patriotism to be manipulated into a war without trusty cause? Would we become resolved and see the truth in things, pursuing a matter like the American forces at Normandy? Even with the best of intentions and the deepest purity…would that be blind?
The Matrix-like truth is so; reality is rarely palatable. Husbands cheat, businesses rarely do kind things without the stipulation of a profit or a tax break, and the American economy is based only on self-worth. After receiving an F in international diplomacy and feeling personally affected by many well-intended decisions, it is hard to feel pride, worth, resilience, or any shred of self esteem as an individual and as a country.
It isn’t that complicated after all. The truth is always hidden, because we are programmed and encouraged to accept it. Perception equals reality.
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Filed under Stock Bankruptcy by on Dec 15th, 2010. 
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