On Perceptions

We are always judging everyone and everything around us. Comparing this to that and ranking everything on the Master List of Our Minds, which is just a carbon copy of Society's Do's and Don'ts, Goods and Bads that we try and pass off as our own. It's full of things we should and shouldn't do, and if someone deviates, then we bring them to trial in our minds.

We are not perfect.

So why do we look around at everyone else, assuming we're better than them and justifying it with our skewed perceptions of the world and how it works.

Because it's all about us. All about what we want. No one EVER lives their life completely and fully in an effort to fulfill everyone else's hopes and dreams.

We are selfish, self-promoting, and so wrapped up in our own self-interests we really only let people into our lives if we get something in return.

And we like it this way, don't we? And those who think "Well, I disagree. I helped someone out the other day and never expected anything in return" you're lying to yourself. When we help others, don't we feel better about ourselves? It makes us look good to everyone else. Regardless of the situation, it's always about me. Everyone thinks it's about them.

It's like when we watch some political scandal on TV and say "Politicians are such sleazy bastards. They lie, steal, and cheat." and we judge them. Judge them hard and never think of them the same way ever again. We do the same thing to everyone else too. But come on! Seriously, have you never fucked up? Never gotten into a situation, that now you think "Man, that was a bad idea. What was I thinking?" We all have our own personal scandals in our lives. The times where we mess up and one person finds out, then everyone finds out, and then everyone judges you. It sounds a little hypocritical of me judge someone for something when I know I've been in the same situation before and I just want everyone to understand what happened and hear my side of the story. So what's the difference between you and someone on TV who messed up? Simply the size of their Life Stage is much much larger than yours and when they mess up, millions of people find out, instead of 50. And I'm not defending politicians here, I'm just saying we lie to ourselves and live through perceptions where we assume we're better than that person or that person or that person when really we are no different than anyone around us. The only thing different about us is our own little perceptions of the world and how it should be.

So if the only difference between us is perception, then why do you sit around all hypocritical like and gossip about he-said, she-did? Because it makes us feel better about ourselves and as previously stated, we are self-interested, selfish beings who are always looking to make #1 look as good as possible. So we are constantly try and proof to the world and ourselves that we are better than Girl A or Guy B by tearing everyone else down around us.

And I don't pretend that I'm not guilty of it either, because I am. When I say "We" I'm always including myself, in front leading the charge. I doubt I will change, and don't expect anyone else to either, because we won't, all I'm trying to get at, is that we need to look at things from more than one perspective before we make a judgment or decision about everything and everyone around us, because everything appears differently depending on what light it's in or what angle you look at from.

I don't really have a reason for writing this, other than I felt like it. I know it's not going to accomplish anything, but it was enjoyable to write and think about for me.