"Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things." ~ Miyamoto Musashi
Our perception, or how we see things, often and to our detriment, becomes our reality... a false sense of reality. Where mistakes are made is when we lose proper perspective. As the ancient western philosopher, Epictetus, once said, "Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them."
"You cannot see the mountain near." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
The mountain looks large when it is near; however, you can see it in its entirity from far away. Additionally, there is no need to even perceive 'the mountain' as a challenge, especially if instead we focus on one rock at a time; enjoying the 'journey.' Having the right perspective or view of things helps shape a healthier reality.
Drawing perception from things that are near, however, can cause problems. The recency effect in psychology, for example, is a cognitive bias resulting from the tendancy to recall items that occured recently or that were at the end of a series of events rather than items that occured longer ago or were in the middle or beginning of a series of events.
For example, if an investor experiences six months of declines in equity prices followed by six months of increases, the investor is likely to conclude that it was a good year for stocks and go on to assume a continuation of rising prices, even with no otherwise supporting evidence. This is not a 'positive attitude,' it is fallacious pattern recognition.
"There is no truth. There is only perception." ~ Gustave Flaubert
Is perception reality? Is perception wrong? One man's trash is another man's treasure. For every fearful seller of stocks there is an opportunistic (or greedy) buyer on the other end of the trade. Who is wrong and who is right?
Which is the greater investment philosophy -- Buy & Hold or Speculation? Which is the greater political philosophy -- Liberalism or Conservatism? The short answer is all of them and none of them. The remainder is for you to decide (or perceive).
"We must not, therefore, wonder whether we really perceive a world, we must instead say: the world is what we perceive…. To seek the essence of perception is to declare that perception is, not presumed true, but defined as access to truth." ~ Maurice Merleau-Ponty
The lesson to be learned today is simply to be aware of your own biases, your own perceptions, and what might be influencing you at a given moment in time. To follow a 'gut feeling' is not wrong, especially if there is time to doubt it before accepting it as a basis to make a decision. Be aware of your own biases; allow doubt to strengthen your convictions. Find a counter-argument that either leads you further into doubt or further into conviction. Just be careful not to perpetually seek confirmation of your biases; otherwise, your perspective, for better or worse, will never change and neither will your perceptions. To paraphrase Francis Bacon once said, ""If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties."
Understanding that you perceive the world is to understand that the world you perceive is only the beginning of understanding: To arrive at the full picture of truth, you must honestly fill in the spaces of doubt left by perception. To have a healthy perception (sense) of reality you must consciously select your own perspective (view).
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Related: Beware of 'Confirmation Bias'
Another great post. I really enjoy the way you write this thoughts.
Posted by: Joan | November 05, 2010 at 02:52 PM