Perception is reality. Individual consciousness is formed by taking in stimulus through a myriad of conscious and unconscious filters and forming all this sensory input into a comprehensible narrative. In other words, we create our own story of life, one experience after the next. We choose how we are going to tell that story, which details we ignore and which we emphasize. The choices we make as we weave our narrative determine what kind of a world we live in.
Some people in war-torn lands see the world as fundamentally benevolent and people as essentially good. Even when their immediate circumstances seem to contradict their perception, they cling to a life-giving world view.
Some of the most influential and affluent people see the world as fundamentally dangerous and threatening. They compete to survive and excel in a dog-eat-dog world. Their affluence and relative comfort do little to change their essentially life-draining world view.
Each of us creates our own world. We choose how we are going to perceive life, ourselves, and others. What kind of a world do you really want to live in? If you are living in a competitive world filled with daunting challenges, you have chosen that world–it reflects your sometimes unspoken but deeply held beliefs about God, life, self, and others. If you don’t like the world you are living in, change your underlying beliefs, which in turn will change your perceptions, which will alter the filters through which you see the world.
Today I will take time to re-examine my fundamental assumptions by reflecting on the way I see the God, the world, myself, and others. I will keep those underlying beliefs that reinforce a life-giving world view and release those that prop up a life-draining perspective. I will create the world I want to live in and share it with anyone who enters my circle.
Eyes To See 