Perceptions

You’ve all heard the expression that perception is reality.  Of course that saying doesn’t mean that perception is actually reality, only that we create a false reality out of our own perceptions.  If we want it to be true, we make it true.

I am not a fan of final judgments that are made only on our perceptions. I do however, recognize that we all do that from time to time. We may decide whether we will like a new food based on our perceptions, such as, “it’s a leafy vegetable and I don’t like leafy vegetables“. “It’s fish and I don’t like fish“. We pre-decide we won’t like a movie because we saw the star on a talk show and didn’t like him/her. Our perceptions of the food or the movie, were negative because of a decision we made a long time ago, and they had little to do with the final food dish or the actual movie.

When you view the images of some top photographers on social media, they will receive acceptance and even raves for images that would go unnoticed if you or I shared them. That other photographer is thought of ( and usually does) as having some of the best work anywhere. Everybody knows their name.  Their followers will give applause to almost anything that the image maker shares. You and I may have to work a little harder to get an image noticed.  People’s perceptions of us, are different from that of the other photographer. Perceptions mean a lot.

When I was a child I loved the country and the city equally. The city was exciting and nature was beautiful. Both deserved exploration. While I have always been drawn to nature, there was a time in my teens when I was drawn more to the city. Lights, sounds, cars and girls all seemed to make the journey worth while. There is of course great food, entertainment and always something to do in the city. Even in my 20s and 30s there was something about a city between midnight and daybreak.

Life moves along and so do we. In my case, my perceptions of both the city and the country changed over the years. One negatively, and the other in a positive fashion.

The city is a rude place. I’m not saying that all of the people in a city are rude. Some are and some aren’t just like anywhere else. I am saying that the city itself is rude. Even with all of its life, it is a negative assault on our senses. The noises and the smells alone remove us so far from the real (natural) world that we become less human. The traffic and confusion fill our sight and mind enough, that we fail to see any of the beauty that man has created. The crime simply proves to us that we are meant to be “spread out”, and not stacked on one another like old cars in a wrecking yard, just waiting for the end.

When I was going somewhere interesting in the city, I always had to travel through the dirt and grime, and the crime and confusion to get there. When I was headed somewhere spectacular in nature, often the drive to the place was better than where I was headed. Perception or reality?

Natural perceptions

I have written many times about my love of nature. There is no where I am happier than when I am in the natural world. I can meditate, and do things in that environment, that I cannot do anywhere else. That having been said, nature is not my religion. Only in the sense that we (my opinion), share the same creator does it fit the definition of my spiritual beliefs. It is our right to use it, and our obligation to care for it. Those two things belong together.

People who view “man” as the ruler of the universe, are only letting you know who their God is.  Don’t let them shame you away from yours.

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My intentions are to share the imagery of others in my next post.

In the meantime………….

Remembering spring?

Fall is coming, and it is a beautiful season in miniature.

The larger side of fall

Two ways to look at Tulips.

13 lines. Ground Squirrel

One of my best friends

Thanks for stopping and come back soon,                                                                                   Wayne