Blog 28: Glass Half Full

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. This string of words embedded in my memory on a loop for a significant amount of time now and yet, while I have understood them, I haven’t felt as though I truly needed to share them until today. Throughout my life (amid my pivotal eighteen years of existence), I have learned that all reality is truly a reflection of who we are internally, and it appears to not depend on what we see or feel visibly. Our perspective and beliefs about the world influence how we interpret the reality around us. In other words, our viewpoint is shaped by our experiences, values, emotions, and beliefs. We don’t view the world objectively; instead, we are subjective in our perception. Our interpretations shape the way we see everything around us, even the most mundane of situations. For instance, the way we interact with the people in our lives may be affected by our past experiences with similar individuals, our current emotional state, and our beliefs about relationships. By the same token, our interactions with the natural environment may be shaped by our values, our spiritual beliefs, and our memories of nature from childhood. No matter what we observe in the world, it is filtered by our background and values before we can experience it. This is because it is simply impossible for us to experience the world without our idiosyncratic interpretations. Even when we undergo similar life experiences, we process them differently depending on how those experiences have shaped our worldview. This idea has important implications for understanding how we perceive the world. To begin with, it suggests that we should be more aware of our own filters and look for ways to challenge our perspectives in an effort to become more open-minded. It also means that everyone should be more accepting of the diversity of other people’s perspectives, and allow for the fact that there may be different--but equally acceptable-- interpretations of the same situation. It implies that we should be careful not to make assumptions or generalizations about the world based on our own experiences and beliefs. Our perception of reality is not a direct and objective representation of the world around us, but rather a subjective interpretation shaped by our personal background and mental filters. I used to be a “glass half empty” person. I had this misconception, for a while, that everything that went on in my life was negative. I convinced myself that every unpleasant experience that I encountered was well-deserved, and that anything that was done for me was purely done out of pity or held some sort of cynical motivation. I felt as if I was constantly being hit by bad things, and that there had to be an explanation for this. I’d ask myself what I did to deserve this? And if there was anything I could do to make it end. I’ve recently realized that I have not done anything to provoke the unfavorable situations I’ve endured. It is not my fault (or your fault) that fatalistic things happen to us; we are not to blame. As with positive experiences and emotions, bad things come and go. It’s inevitable. In spite of this, I've realized that I no longer allow myself to see things in a negative light. In my view, the glass is half full. Yes, terrible things happen. Despite negative experiences, we all learn and grow from them. Personally, I find that beautiful. In my interactions with others and in my empathy, I draw on my experience. It's just a matter of finding the positives.