Do Facts Even Matter?
Perception Is Reality
Ever had a conversation with someone and thought, “If they would just see the facts of the matter, they would change their mind.” Or better yet, ever reflect back on something you struggled with and later realized you just weren’t seeing things clearly?
What causes our ability to see things to become clouded? Emotions! For some people facts don’t even matter. Human beings are interpreters of information. We hear something and we immediately evaluate and judge it. We run it through the lens of our past, our emotions, our current situation, and anything else that’s presently significant in our lives.
Remember the last time you bought a new car? Maybe it was blue and suddenly you noticed an endless stream of blue cars on the roads. We’re self-centered & emotional people. We interpret information and base our decisions on OUR interpretations not on brute facts. Whatever we’re “going through” at the present time becomes our information filter. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but we need to be aware of it.
But let’s face it…people are irrational a lot of the time. We make decisions based on all kinds of rationalizations. We are subject to numerous kinds of cognitive biases.
As Stoics what we need is clarity. We have to remind ourselves that true power lies in deciding how we will view things. We need to keep watch over ourselves and our perceptions.
We need to remember this…
Perception is reality
We need to look at the present obstacle and see what it offers in terms of growth and improvement. This will open us up to a new world of solutions to our struggles.
Decide today to use your power of perception wisely. We can’t always control our emotions, but we can control our actions and reactions. Don’t be tossed around by your own emotions or the expectations of others. We can control how we view things. This is power. If we give up this power or use it recklessly we risk our own happiness.
