December 23, 2001 - Power of Perception
When I first sat down to write this, this was about something completely different than what its going to end up being. I have been thinking at length in the last two days about the concept of perception. Although the dictionary defines perception as knowledge obtained through the senses, I have come to believe that perception is so much more than that. Perception is among, if not the most powerful cognitive ability that a human being possesses. Our perception of an event or a situation that spurs us to action can change the course of or in fact become history. What is history but the perception of the winner?
In a previous post I wrote that we are nothing that we do not allow ourselves to be seen as. People see of us parts of us that we may or may not be aware of. I said that this occurs because we consent to live as we are. In thinking about this, this is something that I feel should be expanded on. I feel as if I left the impression that this is something that we have no influence or control over. I do not believe that to be the case. In going back to my firs post on this page "Self Discovery Through the Eyes of Others", I remarked that one of the ways that we can get an idea of who we are is watching carefully how others react to us. I did not realize at the time that this was part of a progression leading up to this moment. In getting to know ourselves, in getting to know how it is that other people see us, in knowing that they perceive of us what we show, then it is logical to conclude that, through practice, it is possible to master how other people see us.
Now why, you may wonder is this significant? Very simple: Reality is defined by perception. Perception is subjective and unique to the individual. If reality is perception, than it stands to reason that reality is highly individual. If, then, one masters the ability to control others perception of you, then you can in fact control an aspect of another person's reality. That being the case, then how far off from controlling anothers reality in its totality are you if you can control the part relating to you? Now give that great consideration for a moment. That is a truly awesome concept: Controlling another person's reality. Granted, I think that depending on the relationship with a particular person, how strongly we feel for them, positively or negatively, dictates the level of influence and control that they have in our lives our reality.
For the sake of the argument: So what? What if you can control reality, what if someone else controls yours? Does that kind of control on such a small and individual scale make any difference? It certainly does, because mastery of yourself and how you are perceived by others effects more than one person. Depending on your level of command over yourself, and how in tune others are with their own perception, then you can find yourself having control over a portion of reality of everyone that interacts with you. You can, by your actions influence how they act, what they say and how they think. Impossible? The entities known as "The Media" and "The Government" do it every day. It's just more difficult to conceive of it being possible for one individual to have that kind of effect or control on a number of others. But, I submit that it is possible and that it is not as difficult as one might think. Once you come to fully understand your perception then you can start beginning to learn how to use it as well as the perception of others.
So, is controlling the perception of others wrong or manipulative? I imagine that would depend entirely in your motivations for doing so, and what you personally consider wrong or manipulative. Is this something that can be utilized to do harm to others? Yes. But, as in everything in life, there are consequences to everything that you do. Once you act in such a way that influences or controls events in another persons life, you are also responsible for that which you wreak as a result of it. So, in choosing to master another's reality, be sure that you are able to accept the responsibility for that person and the circumstances that arise from it.
Another option is to operate entirely, or partially outside of the perception of others. How to achieve this requires a lengthy explanation. The short explanation comes in the form of a warning: We cannot act in a way contrary to our nature in one instance and not another. In other words, you cannot be one way to anyone else without first being that way to yourself. If you operate in part or in full outside of the perception of others, than you, or parts of you are beyond your own perception. The results can be unpredictable and may undermine your self-mastery. You may find your self being called on to rediscover parts of yourself that you were required to forget or hide in your effort to operate beyond perception.
Perception is power. Use it or lose it.
January 1, 2002 - Power of Perception, II
For the last few days, week or so I have wanted to write. Understand that when I get to the point that I want to write, it is because I feel like I have achieved some major knowing, learned something important, and I feel like I have learned a lot of somethings important this week. The problem has come from at the point that I decided that I wanted to write down what I learned, I learned something else that advanced the original knowing. In other words, I wasn't done when I thought I was done. Does my writing now mean that I think that I am done? No, if nothing else it is a bit of a brain dump. I need to sort out all the things that have happened, that I have ALLOWED to happen to my reality recently, because I am convinced that it is all the tip of the iceberg.
In my post previous to this one I spoke of the power of perception, and said, essentially, that one's mastery over one's perception of themselves and their reality is the first stage to mastering the reality of others. At the time I wrote that, I hadn't realized that the thought was an unfinished one. I hadn't considered that there is another stage to this process of controlling reality. Please allow me to explain:
Adopting that "reality is perception" stance, we have to keep in mind that each person has their own individual reality/perspective. Each person's reality differs from another based on the choices that they have made in life and where they are at when they decided to exercise this mastery. We pick and choose what we encompass in our perception. There are things, situations and people that we consent to allow to influence/effect our lives. We adopt certain things into our perception, reject others. Now, if this is true, then it stands to reason that each element in life that we choose not to adopt into our perspective is an element that we reject taking control of. Either we feel that it is something unworthy of our notation or attention, or perhaps we simply dont realize that we have the ability to control these elements. Whatever the case, that which is out of your control in life is something that you have elected to not incorporate into your perspective/reality, and you therefore are unable to influence that element.
If this is in fact true, then does that not say that the more we encompass into our perspective, the broader our reality becomes and the more influence we have? Yes. Is this to say that ones control over the number of realities increases? No. You can only ever control one reality: your own. However, if you enfold the realities of others WITHIN your own, then the totality of that person's reality that you have encompassed in your perspective is at your disposal to control, manipulate, etc. So, the question that I posed in my previous posting: How far off from controlling anothers reality in its totality are you if you can control the part relating to you? In accordance to the above theory: Not at all. Its pretty much the same thing.
So, how do you do this? How do you enfold the reality of others into your own? Well, I think that it varies in practice from person to person, but largely, I think that what's involved is simply making that which is outside of you a part of you. I mean, in everything that you do in life, anything that you want to achieve with any great success, it can't be something you DO, it is something that you ARE. Is Michael Jordan the greatest basketball player that there ever was because he is blessed with anymore talent than any number of other players? No. Michael Jordan does not PLAY basketball. Michael Jordan IS Basketball. He believes it SO ardently that at this point no once can even say the word "Basketball" without MJ coming to mind. A better example is this: Someone told me a story once about life in a dry place in the Southwest. There was a drought that lasted for many months and the local Tribal Council was approached to do a rain dance. I dont know the exact circumstances of what happened, but it seems that a reporter interviewed one of the councilmen involved in this Rain Dance, and when questioned by the reporter as to how all this works, the Tribesman replied "When you want to bring rain, you do not think about the rain, you simply think Rain. Thinking ABOUT rain calls attention to the fact that there is no rain in the area, and you undermine your efforts to bring it." You can never think of something that you wish to encompass into your reality as something outside of you, because at that point, it always will be. It must be what you are. This works the same of the people that you wish to enfold within your reality. They can be no one and nothing outside of you. They are a part of you. Inside of you. Their thoughts and feelings are nowhere outside of your own. Physical distance, geography, and separation are an illusion. To do your will is to do theirs, and vice versa.
Now, this is by no means easy, unless you have a very good sense of who you are. Knowing yourself keeps you from losing yourself in the person or thing that you are trying to encompass. Then perception becomes obsession and you sacrifice your reality to theirs.
Now, as with everything, there is a lot more that comes with it. Once you have achieved this type of mastery of perspective you become aware of two things: First, that many people do it all the time, they just dont realize that they do it. There are points in our lives when we connect with a sort of pure desire within ourselves and we encompass something within our perspective long enough to effect the change we desire. The problem with this is that it is fleeting. Once we dismiss what we have enfolded into our reality from our reality we no longer have power of it. The problems generated from this follow along the lines of "Well begun is half done". We must be committed wholeheartedly to what we called to us for the duration of the course run. Anything else and you are likely to get results that you were not expected or wanted.
The other side effect of this ability is that you become acutely aware of the shifts in perspective/reality that occur. The feeling is not unlike something grabbing a hold of your brain and twisting it slightly in one direction or another. My theory on this is that you become aware of these shifts because you are outside the mainstream flow of reality. The difference lies in the realization that perspective is tool instead of a prison. Being up above it instead of down in it.
Now, assuming that there is more than one person out there who has achieved this understanding, what happens when the two forces collide? What happens when you meet someone else who knows the same tricks you do? Well, that depends if there is no reason that you have to enfold this person into your reality, or you into theirs, there is no reason to assume that anything would happen. Lives intersect all the time. People come and go. It is often the way of things. What If that is not that case...you need something from them ,they from you? Well, again that depends on what kind of people you are and the intent behind the desire to control one or the others reality. You can either look forward to a wonderfully fulfilling partnership or a longstanding, unwavering enmity. Some people seek to control for controls own sake, others to keep themselves from being controlled. The hardest blow to strike in this is balance. Those who seek to enfold others into their reality do so for a purpose. What that purpose is will determine the relationship of the one to the other.
So why all of this? If it is possible to do al this, why tell anyone it can be done? Why not keep it to yourself and go on the path of becoming a reclusive master of the universe? Well, simply put, I never write with the anticipation that anything I put down will be read, let alone believed by anyone. Second: Well, a very valuable lesson that has seen fit to remind me of its existence these past few weeks is Nothing is ever what it seems to be. Maybe this is not about mastery of the universe at all. Maybe this is just about mastery of the self. Maybe its just a way to see how fast I can run on this path and how far it goes? Will I brush with insanity or will I be arranging a quiet little ascention soon? Perhaps, but only if I can avoid the crucifiction and/or messy death usually associated with enlightenment.
And, of course, there is always the possibility that all of this could be wrong.
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