FTWW #42: The Perception Challenge

My dear intellectually curious friends,

This is For Those Who Wonder (FTWW) #42 and this week I want to reflect on the thought that our reality is not really reality, but not in the blue pill, red pill sense of the discussion.

We all live in a subjective world, in which our perception stipulates our reality.

Our perception is formed by our frame of reference, dictated by our experiences, relationships, and a myriad of other socio, geopolitical, economic and cultural factors.

The differences between our frame of reference and the lens through which our neighbor views the world colors the gaps between our respective beliefs, actions, and thoughts.

We debate, argue and fight because we want everyone to understand that our reality is the true reality. It is much harder to think otherwise; to change our view of the world because we are wrong and not the world.
 
But if you stop to think about the ironic absurdity of the situation, it quickly becomes apparent that if you believed what she or he believes, you’d do precisely what she or he is doing.

People act based on the way they see the world. Every single time.

The question that you need to ask is not whether my reality is the true reality, because, reality check, it’s likely not. The question you need to ask is “where can I swap boards?”
 
Like a surfer that swaps their board with another surfer before paddling out into the swell, the experience exposes them to new ways of thinking about the challenge, using a new tool and their trusty skills to craft additional facets into their understanding of the sport.

Our quest for a complete picture of reality and the broadening of our perception comes down to asking: Where can I learn from other people’s frames of learning and apply it back to my own problems?

However, learning to see through the eyes of others is difficult. That is why empathy is difficult. It does not involve feeling sorry for someone, but honestly answering, “why did that person do what they did?”

To borrow some thoughts from Seth Godin, the useful answer is rarely, “because they’re stupid.” In fact, most of the time, people with similar information, similar beliefs and similar apparent choices will choose similar actions. So if you want to know why someone does what they do, start with what they know, what they believe and where they came from.

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I encourage all feedback and appreciate any responses that bring a new perspective or challenge my reasoning. Together our ideas can change the world.