PERCEPTION VS INTUITION AND THE FATE OF AMANDA KNOX

It is my opinion that an individual's perception is developed based on their likes, dislikes, life experiences, desires, pain and pleasures.  In other words, we develop a perception of an individual or situation, and then we judge that individual or situation based on our perception.  This can be damning!  Of course, because of positive perception of some a person who may not be deserving will get a free pass. 

On the other hand, intuition, which is your "inner guide", some people call it spirit, in religious circles you will hear people say "The Lord spoke to me", or "God told me".  My intuition has NEVER been wrong!  I can relate situation after situation when I did or didnt follow my intuition and the consequences - good and bad.  My challenge was, and still is, but to a lesser extent now, to learn to listen the that still quiet voice.  It is so subtle, it is easy to miss, or override it with logic.  It could be as simple as backing out your driveway and that quiet voice says take route X this moring instead of your usual route Y.  You override it by saying to yourself, "ah, I'll just take route Y because it's the highway, and I prefer to drive on the highway".  As soon as you pull on to the freeway and floor the gas there comes the sireen blaring behind you - you get pulled over and presented with a speeding ticket, and now your'e also late.  It is at this point you will say "if only I'd listened to myself, I would not have gotten a ticket, and would not end up being late".   Here's the tricky part - knowing to differentiate from your own logical or irational thoughts and your inner thoughts or your intuition!

As +Byron Katie famously said "just because you had a thought doesnt mean it's true".  This is simple but profound!  Too bad the way the world is programmed these days it now appear as though folks think up their own truths about other people and situations.

One of my cousins posted this status on facebook the other day (May 3rd),

"Your personality is your greatest asset or greatest liability, for it embraces everything that you control:  mind, body,and soul. A person's personality is the person. It shapes the nature of your thoughts, your deeds, your relationships with others, and it establishes the boundaries of the space you occupy in the world.
It is essential that you develop a pleasing personality—pleasing to yourself and to others. It is imperative that you develop the habit of being sensitive to your own reactions to individuals, circumstances, and events and to reactions of individuals and groups to what you say, think, or do, (whatever your mind can conceive and believe, you can Achieve!!!"  

 I commented that he had finally woke up, meaning his consciousness has opened up.  I was delighted to see the growth taking place in him, because I know he struggled for a long time.  I'm happy for him and will continue to encourage him to unleash the great wisdom that is locked up in him.  And on May 7th, just after watching the Amanda Knox interview on CNN, which gave me the idea for this blog post, I read this status on my cousin's facebook page:

"Two opposite qualities are very prevalent in human nature, but each is a major roadblack to accurate thinking. Credulousness—the habit of believing on basis of little or no evidence—is a major human fault, for it is fatal to accuracy in thinking."  I applaude my cousin for he has begun a journey which will lead him to greater understanding of himself and the world in which he lives. 

Reading this post knowing the quote came from my cousin's course material solidified what I felt as I listened to Amanda, Jack Tapper - her interviewer and watched her reactions.   I have watched news features and bits of the televised trial of Amanda Knox, and my reaction during those times were no different than my reaction to this interview.  Perception about this young beautiful American girl and the eagerness of the authorities to "nail the perpetrator" put Amanda Knox behind bars.  And of course, not only her, but right in the United States of America, and here in Canada many innocent souls are languishing in prison because of the perception of others!  Just think about this for a minute, this could have been any young beautiful American girl, your sister, your daughter, your neice - it just happened to be Amanda Knox!  I sensed that the Itallian authorities and media started off with a biased perception of American girls, code word I heard translated to:  they are loose, they are sexually promiscuous, sexaholics!  "And if  they are this, them they must be that as well". 

This is a great shame and misfortune for humanity because with all our sophistication, education and advances in science at the core have we really evolved any?  If, still, in year 2012, or 2013, we can still allow our judgements to be coloured by our own biases are we  any farther ahead than those who burned witches or stoned prostitutes?

 My heart goes out to all the innocent people convicted for crimes they didnt commit.  I pray that they will be strengthened, and that theywill persevere.  I pray that in the end, a greater purpose will have been served and their misfortune will turn into good.



Perception:  Dead Tree

 

Before the
new leaves of Spring


MissSam


Wikipedia: Perception (from the Latin perceptio, percipio) is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment.Perception is not the passive receipt of these signals, but can be shaped by learning, memory, and expectation.
Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference and/or the use of reason.^[1] "The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri' which is usually translated as 'to look inside' or 'to contemplate'."^[2] Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot justify in every case.