Unmasking Reality: How Our Filters Shape Our World
Life is nothing but the reflection of GDDs. Be aware and break free from the trap of generalisations, distortions, and deletions
As humans, we have so many filters according to which we perceive the world outside. These filters create our beliefs which become our patterns that further control our lives. Our outer world and our opinion about people and circumstances depend upon these filters that create happiness or suffering in our lives depending on their nature whether positive or negative.
These filters are nothing but the GDDs that stands for generalisation, deletion, and distortion in NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming ).
Let’s understand each of them in detail and how they are impacting our lives.
Generalization is a common pattern where we make broad assumptions based on limited experiences and without knowing the actual facts. For example, if a few government officials are corrupt, we might generalize that the entire government is corrupt. Similarly, if we have a bad experience with a particular person, we might generalize that they are always wrong without considering their perspective or circumstances. In relationships, if a spouse doesn’t give attention, we might generalize that they, he, or she doesn’t love us, or if a child doesn’t listen one day, we might label them as disobedient. So, generalisation can lead to inaccurate and unfair judgments, preventing us from seeing the true nature of situations and people.
Deletion involves ignoring or forgetting important information.
We humans are very good at deleting the facts and distorting the reality as per our convenience. Like one bad incident with close ones or at our workplace makes us delete all the good memories that we shared with them and we make that bad memory alive by focusing on it. This filter impacts our relationships in the long term both personally and professionally.
This selective memory can distort our overall perception of people and situations, making us dwell on negativity and overlook the positive aspects of our lives.
Distortion is the process of twisting reality to fit our existing beliefs and perceptions. By distorting the facts one can become the victim of depression.
For example, we often distort the efforts of our employees by focusing only on their mistakes or absences rather than acknowledging their hard work. This can create misunderstandings and conflicts, as we are not seeing things as they truly are.
Our mind is like a lens through which we view the world. If the lens is dirty or cracked, everything we see is distorted.
Cleaning the lens by questioning our GDDs allows us to see the world more clearly, leading to a more peaceful and accurate understanding of our lives.
To break free from the negative impacts of GDDs, it’s essential to question our perceptions.
When we find ourselves generalizing, distorting, or deleting information, we should ask ourselves,
Is this 100% true? If Yes then
According to whom? God or Everyone
By challenging our assumptions and seeking a more balanced perspective, we can begin to see things more clearly and accurately.
As Lao Tzu said, “He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”
By acknowledging and addressing our GDDs, we can better our patterns and live a more peaceful life.
