Perception

I have often said that perception is more important than reality. That always gets people to look askance at me and begin to disagree with me. Nobody has ever succeeded in changing my mind, but I have been thinking about it again lately and thought I would record it here and hope for others to add their perspectives.

People do not act based on reality. They act based on their perception of reality. If everyone acted on reality they would always act the same in as others in the same situation. If someone argues that reality differs from person to person they have fallen into a trap of semantics because it has to be more accurate to say that the perception of reality differs from person to person than to say that reality itself differs.

My next argument is the one where this fact makes a difference in our lives. If we act based on our perceptions of reality then our success in achieving what we are trying to achieve in life will be based largely on how accurately our perception of reality reflects the way things really are. That is why it is so important for people to continue seeking knowledge until they can see things as they really are.