Welcome to the Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where twelve of us write on the same topic. Today’s topic has been chosen by yours truly. The ten other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, Delirious, gaelikaa, Grannymar, Magpie, Maria SF, ocdwriter, Padmum, Paul, Rohit, The Old Fossil and Will. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too!
Stop Press. It is just possible that we may get another blogger to become a member of the consortium with today’s posts. If that happens, I shall introduce him by revising the above list online later.
I have just done that. Please visit The Old Fossil. I call him TOF.
“There’s an apocryphal story about Bihar, a sprawling state on the Gangetic plains of eastern India that for decades held the dubious honour of being the most violent, poverty-stricken and corrupt in the land.
A Japanese minister visiting in the 1990s, shocked at the decrepit buildings, the darkness at night even in the centre of town and the crumbling roads, declared that it was all solvable.
“Give me three years,” he told a state leader, “and I can turn Bihar into Japan.”
“That’s nothing,” came the laconic reply from his host. “Give me three days and I will turn Japan into Bihar.”
~ Press Report.
It is all a matter of perception.
Loneliness / Solitude
Arrogant / Self confident
Door mat / Humble
Talkative / Good communicator
Stupid / Innocent
Opinionated / Informed
Rigid / Principled
Stickler / Disciplined
Bigoted / Religious
And so on and so forth. One person’s point of view can be perceived totally differently by another.
When I had suggested this topic, I was battling with negative perceptions of my then condition of relative immobility. When I look back I laugh at that condition. So perceptions can change with time too.
My 94 year old father perceives me as a child but often reverts to childish behaviour
when I have to behave like a parent with him. The same equation takes place between me and my son. So adjustments to behaviour also can be determined by perceptions.
Aesthetics could also be a matter of perception. Just look at the following two pictures;
The top picture is an RCC cover for man-holes in India and the bottom one is one from Japan. For Indians, apart from the fact that a metal man-hole cover would be swiped to sell off as scrap metal, it should be functional more than visually appealing, whereas the Japanese would like to beautify the mundane. We could look at both from different perceptives and call the former culture ugly and the latter, sensitive, but would that be really descriptive?
So, since perceptions are usually based on value systems that we are conditioned with, I try and avoid making any negative conclusions. Not always successfully, but try I certainly do.
How about you?
Absolutely spot on…our own perceptions change with time, age, place and people.
In India you should be grateful that a manhole cover is ‘there’!
Padmini Natarajan recently posted..PERCEPTIONS
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:20
Yes, indeed. In Pune, accidents are frequently reported due to missing man-hole covers.
Yes, Ramana, can’t wait for a breath of stale air; the new consortium’s member rattling old bones. And remember: Skeletons may squat in our closets but old fossils yearn for exposure at a Natural History Museum.
U
Ursula recently posted..Testosterone
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:20
You may well be in for a surprise Ursula. This fossil would appear to be a recently interred one!
My glass was more than half full today. I sought out an acquaintance for some reliable information. Along with the info I was given about 56 hugs (I had to stop counting!) and was told I was ‘Hot stuff’! All this while his wife watched on!… I feel a Post coming on.
Grannymar recently posted..You better believe it.
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:21
Why am I not surprised that the good lady insisted on perceiving what was going on?
Because I have been accused of being opinionated I am especially fond of the other perception – informed. I’ll go with that one.
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:22
Darlene, if you are opinionated, I am a bigot.
Rummuser, it is well said! Indeed, we can change our perception, but, as you well know, it is better to let go so the perception changes of its own accord.
The Old Fossil recently posted..Perceptions
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:23
Ah, letting go. TOF, you have gone for the jugular. That is the most difficult part of living.
And beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is lovely to have the time and resources to create beauty with everyday things. We are always a child when a parent is alive.
We have a saying in Ireland when the last parent dies: “Now the roof is off your life.” In so many ways.
XO
WWW
wisewebwoman recently posted..I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:29
WWW, a post next Tuesday takes a shot at your comment.
In the case of my equation with my father, let me reproduce something that I wrote to some one else recently.
I found that the two way communication with him was not efficient. I went back to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_OK,_You%27re_OK and dis-covered that the roles have changed and that I would have to treat him like a child and become a parent instead of aiming for an adult to adult method. It worked. On the other hand, I had to change from parent to child equation with my son to adult to adult and I immediately noticed change there too.
I’ve been thinking alot about the friend I blogged about who recently gave me advice on how she thought I should change my life. I’ve been thinking about how she perceives me. How I wish that she could see herself from my vantage point, and see how I perceive her criticism!
Delirious recently posted..Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium: Perceptions
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:31
To carry it to its logical conclusion, perceiving what someone else could perceive about us is the first step in improving communications. But to expect that the other party would do the same is being unduly wishful! It rarely happens.
The way different people have different perceptions is brought home when you read an account of an event you attended and it seems so inaccurate you wonder if the writer actually went to the same event.
Nick recently posted..Pinkie in demand
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:32
Yes, that too. While I was all ga ga about George Clooney, you were not impressed!
Seems whatever I observe my husband sees it differently. I wish he would say “Oh yes that is sooo true, BUT…” & give his viewpoint. He’s left brained & I’m right brained. That might make the difference between our perceptions. What think?
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:33
My post was strictly neutral, and I did not factor in matrimony anywhere in it. Matrimony is a different ball game altogether. May be another post?
Interesting post Ramana. The dichotomy of life basically says there are two sides to every story, which can either be good vs evil, positive vs negative, or perception versus reality. I try to look for good in all, and I try to find the positive where I can. But truth always wills out, and that’s where I go with it all.
Mitch Mitchell recently posted..Black Web Friday – 2/3/12
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:34
Your perception is precise. Go with it.
It’s a very interesting but complicated,complex subject for me.
Perception constitutes observation,understanding,reaction,interpretation,
analysis..and what not?It varies(must vary)from person to person.You may attach a spiritual tag to the concept and see what happens.
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:35
Attaching a spiritual dimension to all perceptions will make us enlightened!
I am always blown away because although I am no longer an LBC member, the post I do often relates to the weekly topic.
I have a theory. Although I don’t remember it, my brain may have remembered seeing the LBC list long ago and has decided to post without me! LOL!
Or, it could just be one of those lovely things we both love – synchrony!
I like your list of comparisons, Ramana! Simple, yet to the point!
Marianna recently posted..Grip, Don’t Slip
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:37
Yes, a remarkable synchronicity. I have elaborated on your own take in your blog post.
To perceive is okay, but to judge is not. I often find myself in the company of people who are constantly passing negative judgement about other people and cultures, ranging from food habits to the way relationships are nurtured. It hurts me at a very personal level and I end up making a passionate argument about how ill conceived such an attitude of judgement is. They in turn perceive me as mad
Ah, well pota’e'to-pot’a'to I suppose 
Rummuser Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 12:39
The wisdom of the young is amazing. We used to call it quid pro quo!
Ursula Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 13:41
OCD, what if those sample judgments you give were “positive”; and remember, just as subjective. Would that change YOUR perception of the one doing the “judging”? Or should I ask: How do you judge the one doing the judging?
U
Ursula recently posted..Bad fit
ocdwriter Reply:
February 8th, 2012 at 12:15
@Ursula: As usual, you ask the tough questions
In all fairness, a perception based on sound reasoning is alright. It is the arbitrariness which I find unpleasant. I feel as bad hearing positive statements without basis as perhaps listening to the negative ones. I will go so far as to say that a well conceived critique is preferable to a baseless compliment.
ocdwriter recently posted..Perceptions