Perception, Perfection, and Ease (Part 1)

Lately, I have found myself keenly aware of the differences of opinion in our society. More troubling, is the hatred that will pour forth from the mouth of opinion. Perception can be clouded by many factors, but I don't want to cover those in this particular post.

A few nights ago, me and the I Ching again, I was meditating to try to figure out what in me has been very troubled. We are recovering from a rather nasty virus at my house, but the "funk" I was in was more than that. I kept finding my mind wandering to the thought of perception and how two people can be present in the same situation, but see two completely different scenarios. I allowed my mind to wander and I kept seeing different words paired with their opposite: good/evil, happy/sad, right/wrong, etc... It occurred to me that my "good" may be another's "evil." What makes me happy makes others sad. What causes this?

Certainly, environmental factors "cloud" our perception. This "clouding" is inevitable and there isn't much we can do to stop it. If we allow our clouding to become intolerance for other people's "truth," we have extinguished the freedoms we each hold precious. Justice is itself also an opinion. Most things in this life are opinion and we must work to grasp the "reality" of "falsehood."

What do I mean by "reality of falsehood?" In my quest to understand my current mental state, I needed definition. I started with perception and one portion of one definition stood out: to understand or notice something easily. Easily, easy, with ease. Let it sink in. What we notice easily. How many quotes are there throughout time about avoiding the "easy path" or the "easy way?" It is synonymous with being lazy. If we choose to understand and accept only those things we notice easily, what would we miss?

Would we miss the smallest bees pollinating the smallest flowers? Shooting stars? The magical twinkle in the eye of a small child who has experienced something amazing for the first time? What else would we miss? The list could go on. When we only notice the easy things, our reality is false; thus, the "reality of falsehood."

Today, I did something I rarely do. I skipped class! I went to class, took my seat, and pulled out my notebook; then, the woman that sits directly behind me got a call from a professor in the psychology department. The teacher wanted my classmate to give a short speech to her class. I followed her because I had to hear it too.

I will finish this story in part 3 of my "series." I hope to finish it shortly. What is your perception telling you my "shortly" will be?