see the best | David M Masters

Two people look at the same scene, one person sees one thing, the other sees something similar but completely different.

This has always bothered me somewhat, especially in the light of my law enforcement experience, when the report representing what someone has seen determines a person’s future.

It’s also disconcerting when someone says “I’ll believe it when I see it with my own eyes.”

More and more I’m thinking that our sight is not all its cracked up to be.

If you add the audio portion, certainly that can add a more credible view… Then, again, someone can say a sequence of words, and I hear something quite different from what the speaker spoke, even though what I heard was a correct representation of the actual words.

I’ve had people thank me following a talk, for specific insights that they received from my presentation. I’m surprised when they echo my words back to me, and the impactful message that they received, was nowhere to be found in my notes or presentation.

Then, I hear people say, “Trust your feelings,” which I encourage people to trust, possibly even more than what they see. Yet, for me, my feelings often betray me, not correctly representing the facts.

It’s as though truly objective perception is impossible from within.

Any single witness may be better than no witness at all but with many witnesses (maybe a hundred) one might be able to extract a reasonable representation of an event… but then again, what is the intention of those reporting the incident?

The group, entity or individual(s) collecting the various reports and extrapolating the facts may have a particular expected outcome that skews the end result.

Shifting Perception

If you can conclude that anything has an incomprehensible number of various interpretations, is it reasonable to assume that you – and any point in time and space – can choose to see anything from a different perspective?

How to Shift Your Perception

Using your imagination, you can change your perspective by putting yourself inside the mind and body of the other person. What must it be like for them in that moment? Can you imagine (or maybe even feel) how they are feeling?

Shifting my view to an aerial perspective is often helpful, to imagine what this incident would look like from without myself, like from the view of an overhead news helicopter.