Context and Perception

Lately I’ve been making mistakes in what I first think I’m seeing that are likely due to the radical change in what has surrounded me for most of my time since Thanksgiving. Watching Jamie Raskin speak on TV, I thought the metal pole with something hanging behind him was an IV. Longer study showed it to be a grow light. But IV’s have been everywhere in my travels between hospital and cancer center accompanying my husband to endless appointments and treatments, so that’s what I now see. Being alert to these shifts of context remind me of how dependent perception is on the expectations conditioned by the recent surroundings. What we see in the present is always influenced by what we’ve seen the most recently and as that changes so do first impressions. Today surroundings are often on a screen. Spending large amounts of time with media makes what’s on the screen our surroundings and has the same level of influence, the same effect as physical location. When extreme media spends so much time tearing things down it builds a negative outlook. Things seem so much worse than they are. People can snap under the strain. Seeing or hearing negative attitudes repeatedly makes it more likely that we pick up those vibes elsewhere. As the extremes of right-wing opposition push some into a we/they mentality it can be good to remember that both sides worked together to get an infrastructure bill passed that was good for everybody using roads and bridges, not to mention all the many workers hired to do the work. Theses shifts help us recognize the fluid quality of perception as a reflection of our own mind and recent experience more than the world at large. What a person is immersed in is the reality they see. This is worrisome considering that there are people making a conscious effort to create fear and animosity regarding those who think differently. The world needs differences for all the many varied things that need doing. If the standard we’re held to is too narrow, most of us won’t fit. Growing up being judged builds a foundation insecurity that is easy to manipulate by those wishing to factionalize. Many were raised in a critical environment, criticism from teachers, parents, coaches, influencers. This creates a habit of criticizing others and an expectation of being criticized. Most people probably don’t realize that as we break the habit of criticizing others, it also makes us less hard on ourselves. Cultivating an attitude of acceptance may need time to develop, but feeling accepted is an antidote to antagonism.