What colour is this dress ?
Is the dress blue and black or is it white and gold ?
There was much debate on the internet about the colour of this dress. Of the people who responded to this question, 67 % stated that the dress was obviously white and gold, while 33 %, including Taylor Swift, stated that the dress was blue and black. In reality, this dress is actually blue and black. If this is the case, why do so many people see colour so differently and what does this say about our perception? What does that mean for how we perceive ourselves?
Every single person experiences the world differently. For most of us, our experience of the world is the correct one. How can we all be correct ?
We live in a world where we value those who have the answers. These people who appear to understand how everything works are held in high regard. They have figured things out.
We think that knowledge acquisition is important, however, it is equally important to know how the world works and what it means to be human.
“Do we really know anything ?”
The world you experience exists only in your mind. No one else can experience your reality. Reality is a subjective experience that is completely different from everyone else’s interpretation.
We all believe that our interpretation of reality is the correct one. Can we say that someone’s interpretation of reality is correct or incorrect ? If yes, how can we prove this ?
Unfortunately, there is no way of testing, proving or knowing whether someone’s interpretation of reality is correct or incorrect.
The brain generates our experience of the world through our senses. Therefore, our experiences are based on what we can perceive. The notion of the majority rules is not always the correct way to determine what is real and what is not.
Our eyes function like video cameras and the information that strikes the retinas gets passed on through the optic nerve which transmits the signal to the brain’s visual cortex. The brain then decodes this information to make sense of it and form a mental image of the outside world. It is this mental image that comes into consciousness.
The same is true of the other senses – the ears, the nose, the tongue and the touch receptors in the skin. The sensory information perceived by all our senses gets passed to the brain which then decodes this information into sound, smell, taste, pressure, heat, cold, etc.
A human being only knows about their environment through their senses. Therefore, we only experience what the brain reconstructs from the information it receives from the senses. In other words, our brain generates our experience of the world.
It is important to note that the details of our perceptions will differ from person to person. For example, a highly visual person will notice the clothing, hair colours and body shapes of two people who are having a conversation. On the other hand, someone who is sensitive to other people’s emotions will notice the emotional tone of the conversation between these people.
We all have different brains with so many different experiences that slant our version of the world.
“Do we really know anything ?”
Try to remain open-minded about the numerous possibilities in life.
Open your mind and look very deep, the answer you find, will be yours to keep.
Question your truth and what you are told, remind yourself to be brave and be bold.
Thanks for reading. Wishing you much peace, health and happiness.
References:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/catesish/help-am-i-going-insane-its-definitely-blue#.umQ505zvD
