Perception is 9/10 of reality. I was in a discussion about that thought yesterday.
If I believe it's true to me, than it's true.
It may or not be really true, but if my perception is that it is correct, to me it is.
I am learning to work and minister to with people on the basis of their perceptions, not on the basis of what is true reality or what I perceive to be reality.
That can be a real frustration as a care-giver and leader.
Perceptions tend to come from our backgrounds, what we've experienced in the past, how we have been taught, what our presuppositions are, our personality, and our emotional state at the time.
It's all rather complex. For our perceptions change over a period of time. I've heard this said several times recently, "as so-and-so grew older, they really mellowed."
We being to learn what is important and what is not.
Iyania Van Zant once said, "our life's journey is an ever-unfolding work of art that tells the story of where we have been and with whom we have traveled."
My goal year is to grow in hearing and really listening to other's perceptions, whether I agree with them or not.
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2 comments:
Why is it that some uptight people tend to "mellow" over time? Does that mean that laid back people get more uptight?
Wow, I can't believe that a whole week has gone by since your return to the blog and I haven't caught up yet!! Welcome back, by the way, and we've missed you!
I use this phrase about perception a lot because I know that it is true...A person's perception of reality is reality to that person. No matter how wrong we know, and can prove, them to be, until they choose to change their perception (or we, being wrong, choose to change ours) on the issue, we cannot win any discussion with them. When you have kids, you understand this...especially teens. When you deal with the mentally ill, you understand this. When you deal with the habitual criminal, you understand this...and when you deal with the defense attorney, you get enough dialogue to understand it numerous times over!
I'll tie this to your earlier blog on atheists...their perception is that they exist because they exist. Existential, I know, but what can I say. A college professor gave a final exam to his philosophy class...behind him on a desk sat a chair. He said, "There is only one question to the final. Prove to me that this chair does not exist." The students started to work and one young man wrote quickly on a piece of paper and turned it in. It said, "What chair?" He got an A on the final. It's all perception to some people.
I usually tell atheists that they have more faith than I do. I look at our world and know that it is created by a wonderful and amazing God, in all its' detail and interoperating systems. An atheist looks at the world and says it happened by accident. Which one of us has more faith? The mathematical probability that any one sperm will fertilize any one egg to create life is some two million to one; how much more astronomical is the chance that those probabilities resulted, through the line of your ancestors, to create you...a unique and divinely created you!
But, again, perception of reality is reality...so we must reach into their reality and show them, through our lives and our behavior, that another reality exists...the true reality! That God does exist and He does love them and He does want to spend eternity with them! Man, I'm fired up now George...
Since I'm catching up on all of the past weeks blogs with this one-Hook 'em Horns! Vince was incredible and I'm sorry you missed it...I'm not sorry that I stayed up until 1:00 AM to see the end (along with the trophy presentations you know) and it didn't hurt my work too much the next morning. But I was glad that Friday was my day off so it gave me the perception of hope and a restful day. Yes, the perception came true, it was a good quiet day after getting the boys out the door to school.
Anyway, I look forward to keeping up now that I'm caught up. I'll try not to nap anymore and end up so far behind. God bless.
Jon
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