What is Perception?
Perception is how we view and see the things around us. Perceptions vary from person to person or place to place, this is where we get our perspectives.
What does Perception mean to the Shadows and how does it relate to them?
Perception is essential to the shadows; it allows us to further grasp the Force by understanding the different perceptions. As Shadows we need to learn the ability to own our own views, but to be able to see others and to respect them, even when we do not agree. In our attempt towards greater knowledge and understanding we must be able to see all sides of every conflict and cultural difference. By allowing ourselves this ability, while still holding on to our perceptions, we can learn from both ends of the spectrum and make a better informed decision than the original two or more sides perceptions. This will allow us a greater chance at not repeating not only ourselves but those that came before. With these ideas we are best to use our skills at mindfulness, balance and harmony, and unlearning.
How do we implement, balance, and harmonize different Perceptions into our daily lives?
First we must realize that we are both right and wrong, yet we are neither right nor wrong at the same time. How is this accomplished you ask? By sitting down and realizing that right and wrong are relative and not absolutes. You may be wondering how this can be when all throughout history right and wrong have been the focus of so much debate and turmoil. For example, two groups or societies of mankind, if you will, get into a debate and then war over one’s views of how things should be. Group A has stated that only certain characteristics of humanity are worth anything at all, and all other characteristics shall be eliminated. Group B is of the opinion that all characteristics of humanity are equal and should be preserved. Herein lies the crux of the conflict, both groups sees the other as wrong whereas they themselves are right and true. Where it would probably been better off to have Group A send the people with these different characteristics to Group B, Group A decided to slaughter them. Upon seeing these events Group B decides it would be prudent and in the best interests of all concerned to attack Group A and remove them from the authoritative power, and install a societal hierarchy similar to their own. Now as stated before both groups believe themselves to be right and the other wrong. Would a different outcome have been achieved had both sides respected the others Perceptions? Possibly though right and wrong are so ingrained into human nature that a conflict of any size was unavoidable. Here lies the truth in Perception and how right equals wrong and yet right does not equal wrong. What you or I perceive as right is wrong to another, and vice versa. As Shadows we must realize it is the understanding that Perception is not ingrained into us from the beginning, but learned and taught to us as we grow. This is where unlearning comes into play. We unlearn what we perceive to be and relearn what we know to be fact, by seeing all sides of things. The key to finding these out is to keep in mind that truth and fact is more important to establishing your own views than what others perceive to be. This does not mean that we cannot learn from their views and incorporated them in.
We must remain open and willing to accept that knowledge and wisdom comes from many sources, and not just those obvious ones we see everyday. The path to this understanding of Perception is in essence a path to understanding humanity and the Force, and how they intertwine. By being able to juggle all the different Perceptions with your own and making the choices for the betterment of the whole, we see where the skills in balance and harmony come into relevance. As always, being mindful of your actions and those around you is one of the key steps, it allows us the ability to take a step back and see what Perception really means.