Perception: Too injurious to health?
Perception, according to Oxford Dictionary is:
The neurophysiological processes, including memory, by which an organism becomes aware of and interprets external stimuli
now everybody has perception in one subject or other, for one person or another. I have perception for most of the things through which I (or anybody in this world) would come to conclusions, for e.g. I have a perception which I have created based on certain facts, examples and reading that Partition was in the best interest of India. Many people even within my own family would disagree with me on this one, as they have a different perception that they might have built about this issue.
So today’s again the topic is “Perception”, now how are they actually created in our minds? I have a theory for this, I think the society that we live in creates our Perceptions, but in general Perceptions are just few inches away from facts or they are created due to ignorance of facts or they are created as we do not want to accept the truth or the fact as it is. Elaborating this, A Muslim living in Pakistan will always blame the US or India for bombings within Pakistan, without acknowledging that General Zia used the American Military Instruments to wage the Proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan and it is the same Mujahiddins (or Mujja-Chacha / Mujja-Uncle as we call them) which are now so strong that they can oppose the government of Pakistan and their institutions in whole.
Similarly, Indians in 90s always had a perception that it is USA who supplies Arms to Pakistan and India and make them fight between each other, while the fact was since late 1990s USA stopped exporting Arms to either of the countries and it was actually France, Ukraine and Russia who were selling arms to us and Pakistan.
So we can easily conclude that the perceptions are created by our society in our heads and minds and they get so deep in to our hearts that we stop accepting the facts or we take things as de facto, regardless of any want of finding the truth.
Now that we accept (for sake of accepting) that Perception is not exactly the reality, we go to our main point, why are people in age of Internet and communication have more Perceptions than people in times of Mahabharata or earlier (Even they had perceptions but much less than what we have these days).
So its blame time now, the whole relic of Perception started getting created with introduction of Abrahmic Religions in to the society, especially the Indian society (who used to follow Dharmic Religion). It can be noted that Indian society was very open and free, where Mata Kunti could bare a child and no one can questions her during her 9 months of Pregnancy, Kama Sutra being written by many different Authors, so in all we were more progressive then what we are today. How? well if you see none of the Dharmic Religions have any rules in it except the prevailing science that existed in their right time. So Lord Krishna can narrate to you whole Bhagwat Gita but he never says that this is what Man should wear and this is what Woman should wear, or he wont show the way to “Heaven” or wont even promise “72 Virgin Females to Escort you in Heaven”, instead reading Jainism, Gita, Buddism one would find that the Lord Supereme is the Director and we are mere Actors. In this scenario if you put in Abrahamic Religions, they have more tendency to dictate terms of living, like for e.g. One should not listen to Music or one should pray 5 times a day or a woman should only go out at certain time with a male relative and should always wear certain clothings, etc etc.
So as we start following these religions, we start to build perceptions of what is right or what is wrong. I asked one of my good friend who is a Muslim, how he believes the world was created? and he said Allah himself created the world in 7 days and put Adam and Even on earth. No mention of whole EVOLUTION that our forefathers had to go through while being Chimps and Apes and what not to make a homo sapeins.
Whatever the scriptures say weather Hindu, Christian or Islamic scriptures, the fact will always be facts and the fact is that it took billions of years for earth to get created and then it took millions of years for us become Humans from Chimps. No 7 days my friend, and there was NO ADAM or EVE.
Therefore the main culprit of us having Perceptions is Society and more so our Beliefs (Religious or Non-Religious).
A funny but real story is when Galileo found that Earth is actually round, which was contradicting with Bible, the Holy Father (yes yes, the POPE) was shocked to come to know the fact and asked Galileo to apologise. Galileo (as great as he was) stated to the Holy Father that “Oh Father, I can write books to scientifically prove that earth is actually flat as stated in the Bible, but what is fact will always remain a fact and no book can change it” – or something like that he said then. He was so true.
People in India have perception that Mahatma Gandhi always preached “Satya and Ahmisa – or Truth and Non-Violence” but this is a real insult to Mahatma’s intelligence and vision. Actually Mahatma was a visionary that no man on earth has ever been in recent history. Mahatma showed us path of “Satyagraha” so that even today when we want to protest we go on hunger strike, instead of Bhagat Singh’s way of killing the Government Official who is doing injustice to us. Imagine, there is no Tap-Water in a village in India, people protest, they go on strike they show there anger in way of March or Satyagrah. If we went on to Bhagat Singh’s path – these people in village might have ended up killing that Municipal Commissioner and there would have no law and order in India. Everyone would become police and everyone would become a judge. If you dont like someone – or if they do injustice to you – “Kill Them”. No Mahatma was Mahatma because of his Vision. Truth and Non-Violence were mere strategies to achieve the final goal of independence and safe, secure and democratic India. We could have turned and become in to Pakistan if we didnt have Mahatma’s way.
More on examples,
- we have perception that Maharaj Ravan was cruel, and was a womaniser but we never see that he never forced himself on Mata Sita or his people were happier under his rule and were prosperous. A perception created by our religion / belief.
- having a child without legal marriage is wrong is another perception. But if God didnt want that to happen, then He (or She) would stop the “process” right before it happens or would ask couples to go round some fire to produce a kid. A perception created by some Abrahamic Religion.
- War on Iraq was wrong. Well if Raja Ram can wage war and kill thousands of soldiers to rescue his wife, and then de-throne Ravan, then why cant Bush remove Saddam? Again Perception created by the Myth and Reality.
- Qualification gives Knowledge and is a real way to know if person is educated. I know hundreds of qualified individuals who are earning less than Rickshaw Drivers in India and I know many Qualified people, treating their Servants like Bonded Slaves. Again Perception created by the Society. Galileo, Watson, Socrates, were never qualified to do what they did but they were educated enough or had enough knowledge.
I say there is no right or wrong, and its all perception. But in fact perception itself of any kind is wrong, it gives man all sorts of prejudice against another man which then results in to discrimination and all sorts of problems, wars, cruelty, etc. So can we conclude by accepting that we should all “Loose Perceptions, never Judge Fellow Man / Woman” after all perception gives us heart-attack…..
Share your perceptions and comments on this with me.
Awful Instance of Perception
Perception
Perception
Nice article…Infact we judge everything how we perceive it to be…but there are different aspect which are not seen bcoz of our own prejudices…Its something like this story… An English professor wrote the words:
*A woman without her man is nothing”*
on the chalkboard and asked his students to punctuate it correctly.
All of the males in the class wrote:
*”A woman, without her man, is nothing.”*
…All the females in the class wrote:
*”A woman: without her, man is nothing.”*..u see things how perceive it to be…
Perception is not injurious to health but it is actually the belief in thy perception which is injurious to health.
If everything is a perception, there is no absolute truth. Is it?
Example of Iraq war & comparing it to Ram waging a war is like apple to orange comparison.
I am not saying that majority’s perception can be truth.
But, if you ask people on their opinion of reasons for Iraq war (esp. the pretext of w.m.d etc), you might find that majority will say that it was a wrong thing to do.
On Bhagat Singh’s example, I can say your “perception” is wrong too (from my point of view). And, your judging of Bhagat Singh’s act doesn’t follow your own guideline of “loose perceptions. never judge…”
Bhagat Singh did what was necessary, from his viewpoint. I/You won’t act like Gandhi in times like those, even if we appreciate him of his principles. Try and get hit by some man on the street & Gandhi is forgotten.
We were under a foreign rule. Is it considered bad to fight against it?
I would say that if one is being oppressed by one’s own government, one should fight it. If one’s cause is legitimate, people will unite. People think differently. That can’t make Bhagat Singh’s way wrong (and Gandhi’s way right). Different ways in different times, I would say.
Who is fearless enough to die for a cause?
It is easy for us to decide what is a wrong perception, when we think we have the “right” one.
I think what you want to mean by this article is: be careful & take time before accepting/rejecting some view.
Perceptions can be built using false propaganda/misunderstanding. One has to take everything with a pinch of salt (as they say).
Dear Kalpesh bhai,
Thank you for your comments.
Yes Sir, Perceptions can be built due to Propaganda or Beliefs, and that is what I highlighted in my post. That is where I have given Galileo’s example and my only point was: whatever your perception is – truth is truth and it will never change. Your perception can be right or wrong, but it is built due to range of factors including society, beliefs, propaganda, and much more.
Whereas for Bhagat Singh, 99% of Indians take it as an action of Youth (even Congress at times thought that Bhagat Singh was 23 year old guy with Hot Blood wanting to prove himself). But neither I nor Congress ever denied Bhagat Singh’s contribution in Independence of India. Nor can anyone do what he has ever done.
What my point is that people misconceive Bhagat Singh, they do not know that his actions, ideals, and ideas were result of his beliefs in Marx and Lenin. His Party was called Communist Party of India and he was a member. Whereas if you see Amir Khan’s film “Rang De Basanti” — there were youths who thought something was wrong – took Bhagat Singh’s example and killed the minister.
Only few knows that behind Bhagat Singh’s Martyrdom there were thousands of books, concepts and thinking of masters like John Lenin. I run a business, and if someone buys a faulty product from me which I refuse to change or refund, then I expect that client to go to courts but has no right to kill me for it.
What Bhagat Singh did if whole India starts doing without knowing what he really meant and what were his ideals were – then India will soon become Pakistan or Iraq.
Thanks,
Thanks for your reply Madhavbhai.
“I run a business, and if someone buys a faulty product from me which I refuse to change or refund, then I expect that client to go to courts but has no right to kill me for it.”
That is not a good comparison. British didn’t setup shop to sell things to us.
“What Bhagat Singh did if whole India starts doing without knowing what he really meant and what were his ideals were – then India will soon become Pakistan or Iraq. ”
That is not good either. Not everyone thinks alike. Hence, whole of India doing such a thing is inconceivable.
I don’t think, all the people in Iraq are wanting to blow themselves up to kill occupying forces.
There are rebels of different kind. People who blow themselves have a reason (including brainwash) behind it & on the other side, army (which is a legitimate structure) is brainwashed into fighting a war even though it is unfair & an aggressive act (as compared to for defending itself).
Wars of today are for bigger guys to push the small kid & steal its resources. That is my understanding.
Dear Kalpesh bhai,
I am just providing scenarios may be a bit more generalised / simplified and not actual. I saying that what Bhagat Singh did was RIGHT, but there was substance behind it.
All I do not believe in is becoming a vigilante . I am only saying that read Bhagat Singh and understand that if he always wanted to kill someone to gain independence – he could have done it when he actually joined the freedom process with Azad.
With Iraq, ofcourse the normal people anywhere do not want to blow themselves up – but whoever is doing for whatever reason or factor, they are doing because they feel they are doing justice and they feel they are fighting for their land!
Wars forever have been for bigger fish to eat the little one and capture their resources! Weather its Maharaj Ashok, or Mughals or kings before and after them all fight for same cause.
On another subject, how did you like my post Faith, Culture and Us? We have Dr R Shukla writing something about Children… Your comments and suggestions on both these are awaited and welcome.
Kind Regards,
Good points…I would note that as someone who really doesn’t write on blogs much (in fact, this may be my first post), I don’t think the term “lurker” is very becoming to a non-posting reader. It’s not your fault in the least , but perhaps the blogosphere could come up with a better, non-creepy name for the 90% of us that enjoy just reading the posts.
I was just doing some web browsing on my Nokia Phone during my free time at work , and I came across something I thought was intriguing. It linked over to your site so I hopped over. I can’t really figure out the relevance between your site and the one I came from, but your site good none the less .
Thanks
Just found your site through google, I’ll keep up with this one for sure
Maybe the most amazing read I read this year.
My regards,
Andre
Hrmm that was weird, my comment got eaten. Anyway I wanted to say that it’s nice to know that someone else also mentioned this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer. Thanks.
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