PERCEPTION

The host, Papa Silk, discusses the power of perception and how it can affect our lives. He asks listeners to reflect on moments when others' opinions and perceptions of them have influenced their own thoughts and actions. He emphasizes that perception can sometimes matter more than the truth, using examples of how we perceive ourselves in the mirror. Papa Silk suggests that understanding others' perceptions and having open conversations can change these perceptions and lead to a deeper understanding of the truth. He concludes by stating that perception can either make or break us, and it is up to us to decide what we focus on. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Whenever you are choosing to listen in a chime in, this is Open Minded, and I am your host, Papa Silk. Hope everybody had a great day, a great afternoon, a great evening. Let's get real for a moment. Let's get real for a moment. Have you ever had a moment in your life, a time in your life where somebody's thought, somebody's opinion, somebody's perception of you, of telling you how things should be done, how you should feel, how you should act, how one should carry themselves? Has that ever happened to you? How does that make you feel? What was your reaction? And the reason why I bring that up is because I'm pretty sure somebody's out there right now that is feeling some type of way, because they just currently or recently had that situation happen to them. We've all had, at some point in time, someone giving their two cents on how things should be in our life, and how we should walk, and how we should talk, and how we should carry ourself, and how we need to deal with certain situations. We get a lot of that, well, it couldn't be me, or if I was in that situation, this is how I would do it. This is what I would say. It's crazy. It's crazy. It's crazy. It's crazy. people have when it comes to dealing with life that is not their own. And I want to talk about the word perception. In perception, one of the definitions of perception is a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something. Interpretation. So, when I look at perception, perception can matter more than the truth. Perception can matter more than the truth. How so? Let me give you an example. When you look in the mirror, and ladies, if you're getting your hair done, and if you're styling your hair, and you're putting on makeup, and you're checking out that outfit, what do you see? They'd be like, man, girl, you're looking good, you're looking like fire right now. Or, ugh, I need to change this outfit. Gentlemen, same thing. You can look in the mirror when you're all dressed, ready to go, and be like, yo, I look super fly. The flip side of that, you'd be like, ooh, no, this ain't the look. It is your perception, and it can matter more than the truth, and you can be super fly and look beautiful, but then carry yourself in a manner like, or depending on what you're seeing, it's like, ugh, I don't look good, I'm not beautiful. And that could be further from the truth, but it is how you're perceiving yourself. And perception is a very powerful, powerful, powerful interpretation of whatever is going on, and how people are choosing to perceive things within their own lives and within other people's lives. But then when that situation happens, what do you do? How do you react? What do you say? How do you carry yourself? I'm going to let that simmer just a little bit. When we look at what people see and what people think, when we take into account the perception of what people see of us and how anything and everything that goes along with that, it can either make us or it can break us. But yeah, it can take us to a place that we're not used to. Had somebody say today that I'm not used to getting spoiled, that's their perception. Had somebody say one time that men are dogs, that's their perception. Or even, things cost too much gas, it's just too expensive. And I'm pretty sure some of you are shaking your heads right now, that's not a perception, that's reality. But yet, for the majority that may be. And for some, it just may be just another part of everyday life. But perceptions is a very strong emotion, a very strong feeling, a very strong metorism, so to speak. Because when you place your perception on someone or something or some place, that can make something, make somebody happy, make somebody sad, make somebody mad, make somebody angry. It can break them, it can break them down, way down. But like I said, perception is a very strong word, and it's a very strong metorism to when somebody perceives something about us, that's more important than the truth. That's what I put on my notes, perception can matter more than the truth. And people say the truth of the matter is, but are we really focusing on the truth? Are we truly focusing on the perception of the truth? Think about that for a moment. You're at work, you're working hard, you're getting a job done, and then some. But then you got somebody over here saying that you're lazy, or you're a goody two shoes, or you're a butt kiss, or you're this and you're that. That is their perception of you. Which is, in this case, further from the truth. How do you respond to that? Rotate and rub a neck in your neck and wag in your finger, catch an attitude? Because you feel like you have to defend yourself. Hmm. And then you think about, why do I feel like I have to defend myself? That's your perception. Yeah, again, their perception is their reality. But let me give you something to think about right quick. When have you, when has anybody taken the time, not so much to focus on the truth, but focus on the perception, and understanding, or trying to get understanding of why that perception is the way it is? Now we're not talking about on a global scale. We may just be talking about something that is right there in front of you, right next door to you, in the next room. Because, I heard this phrase, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And I was like, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And you know, my mind works differently than most people. I'm like, really? That may have been back in the dinosaur days, when Moses parted the Red Sea and had so much of his grandma fishing on the other side. Myself, personally, I think. You can't have a second chance to make a first impression. That's just how I perceive it. But that could be something that we could talk about at a later date. But yeah, perception can matter more than the truth. And when have you taken the time to understand what is being perceived, why is it being looked at that way? So explain it to me. Why and how do you feel this way? Because I want to understand why you have this perception of me, or why you have a perception of the situation. Talk to me. What's going on? I need a better understanding of why. And if you get that opportunity to have that conversation, and we can do it in a positive manner, I think the end result can change the perception, and we can get to the truth of the matter. Because I look at it like this, a perception can make you, a perception can break you. It's just based on how you perceive that statement. That's just a little something to think about. Nothing too crazy. Perception can matter more than the truth. It's just a matter of what you're trying to get to. You're trying to understand that perception, or we're going to focus more on the truth. Be that and may. That's just a little something to think about. And I hope that you enjoyed this episode of Open-Minded. I'm your host, Papa Silk. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and good night. Catch.