Preception and reality

[*Deidre*]

Through my blindness I find that my idea of reality is changed. I don't have quite as many pre-conceived notions about the world. Instead of taking the world at a glance and making a swift judgment I must wait, listen, touch( if I can) and carefully evaluate my surroundings. For instance if I hear running water I cannot automatically assume there is actual water near me. I must wait. See if anyone else notices water. Check for the smell of water. Or notice water by touch. Otherwise the sound of water could just be a recording of running water. I never really noticed how the loss of one sense drastically alters whether I am neutral, passive, or active in my judgement calls.

This is really an interesting insight into things.

I was thinking for the past few days, something along similar lines. When I was a Christian, how I used to believe people at face value, rather than letting their actions speak for themselves. Right away, I'd believe people, trust people (men mainly) too quickly. I allowed many toxic people into my life, because as a 'good Christian,' I was taught to always be forgiving. Always looking for the good in people, even when they didn't honestly deserve it. I dated a number of 'bad guys,' applying this thinking. I remember a few years back, reading that Pat Robertston had advised a caller who was being abused by her husband, to 'keep praying, that God wouldn't want her to divorce. To pray for her husband.' What a fucking idiot, to advise a woman to stay in harm's way, because ''God might be mad at her.''

In another thread here today, there is a discussion about comparing these two concepts...of reality vs perception. Can our perceptions of things become our reality? I'd say, in some cases, yes. There was a time, when I once perceived the Bible to be a true account of how Christianity came to be, but after researching for a few years, and self reflection, I realized it wasn't based in 'reality.' That my perceptions were leading me away from genuine reality. Objective reality.

Now, I use reality to well... judge reality. lol I look at how people treat me, not just the words they are saying, anymore. If I date a guy, and he says a lot of great things, but in his actions, doesn't respect me...he's out. My perceptions are matching more and more to what actual reality really is, day by day. It's a great feeling to no longer live in just my own perceptions of reality, but rather reality itself.

Like your water example, I now ''wait'' to see if reality matches my perception of a given situation.

Great thread topic. I hope more people chime in.