Tag: Experiences

What Do You See?

Even though we are all human beings, we see things differently. Each of us has a very different perspective. Our minds have been shaped differently due to genetics and life experiences. Even someone’s personality can play a role in what they take in from their surroundings.

You could put several people in a room and have them examine a picture or video and you would get many different views on what the image or video was about. We all come from many different walks of life and when presented with something we will tend to see it based on our past experiences.

Examine This Picture

Picture #1. What is your first reaction when seeing this photo? There may be a few ways that you are perceiving this image:

  • A man who has just gotten some terrible news
  • Someone who is hearing the most beautiful voice sing his favorite song
  • A gentleman who is watching a movie in awe
  • A person who has just told a secret that he was not supposed to tell
  • Someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one

As you can see there is a mix of both positive and negative perceptions. Several people can look at the picture above and give you a completely different answer.

Picture #2. Now, let’s examine this image. Instantly a few perceptions may come to mind:

  • A woman who is upset, but is trying to hide it
  • A lady who is enjoying the sights of nature
  • Someone who is waiting impatiently outside for her loved one
  • A lady who is lost in deep thinking
  • Someone who is content and has found a moment to relax

Isn’t It Interesting?

There are many ways to interpret what we see in this world and depending on who you ask, you will most likely get a wide variety of answers.

Another interesting thing worth noting is that sometimes our mood can affect what we see. If we are feeling down or pessimistic, we might be drawn to more negative realizations. When we are feeling happy, our conclusions may be more from a positive standpoint.

Communication

Everyone having different viewpoints is another reason why communication is so very important. We can all go through an event in life, and we will describe it differently. We have all had unique experiences that have shaped the way that we see the world.

Without proper communication, we may start to assume that we know about someone or something when in actuality it is far from what we perceive it to be. Looks are very deceiving and therefore we need to rely on communicating so that we can understand what the other is experiencing.

Mini Experiment

Just for fun, examine Picture #1 and Picture #2. What conclusions can you draw from each? Maybe some of you have thought of the perceptions that I mentioned and perhaps you have a very different approach to the meaning behind these pictures!

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Photograph

Have you ever looked at a photograph of yourself and thought of how many things have happened to you since that picture was taken? All of the dreams and desires you once had, you may now actually have. All of the unexpected situations and roadblocks you have encountered, you now have the strength and growth that came from them.

One picture shows the passage of time. Time truly changes everything and it changes us. We can look back on a photo from years and years ago and realize that we are not quite that same person anymore. We have grown and experienced so much since that photo was taken. We can look back at where we were and many of us never dreamed we would be where we are today. Hold onto photographs for they are capturing memories and a person that is ever-changing!

In Tune

Isn’t it funny how a certain song has the power to bring back so many memories? It’s as if it temporarily transports us back in time. Certain songs remind us of certain events, or times in our lives and they can evoke so many emotions.

I love the feeling of being in my car and having a song play from many years ago. It’s like having a little blast from the past. It’s pretty amazing how many years, or even decades later, a simple song can trigger so many thoughts and emotions in our brain.

Years and years ago, it was common for people to burn CDs of their favorite music. I spent hours and used countless CDs to burn my favorite songs throughout the years. I keep them all in a CD case in my car and still to this day, I spend more time listening to my CDs than the radio, or any other way of listening to music. I love the connection to old songs and the happiness that comes from listening to them. I have songs that remind me of my high school graduation many years ago, songs that remind me of college, relationships, friendships, dates that I went on, jobs that I’ve had, vacations that I have taken, the list is endless. It seems like every song ties me to a certain time in my life.

music1

As I sit here and write this, I can’t help but to think of the importance of memories and the importance of music. It is so valuable to keep memories alive and to remember the good times. Not only is it a happiness booster, but it reminds us of where we have been and who we have become. Music is equally important for boosting our mood and finding connection to the lyrics is an extra bonus. A good tune and beat is just good for the soul. Our brains are tied to things that evoke great emotion like events, music, art, certain scents, etc. These all stay etched in our brains. Recall how a certain scent can remind you of someone, or even a holiday scent that brings you back to memories of celebrations with your loved ones.

It is very important for us to do things that bring us joy and happiness. The memories from the past still are very much a part of who we are. To me, it’s so fun going back and “reliving” these moments simply by listening to a song. Try putting on some of your favorite songs from way back when, particularly songs that you listened to during some of the most fun and happy times of your life and see what a good mood booster it can be!

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Distortions

We see everything in life clearly, or do we?  There is so much to see in this world and some of it cannot be seen with the naked eye, but even what we do see is not always how it appears.  How many times in your life have you been so certain that a particular person was a certain way and they ended up being the exact opposite, or a situation that you thought took place one way, actually unfolded in a completely different way?  Looks are very deceiving, things are definitely not always how they appear.

If you really stop and think about it, this topic could drive you crazy.  We see someone, or see things one way, but they are actually another.  Much of what causes us to see life distorted are our past experiences.  We know that x,y, and z turned out a certain way in the past, therefore we think it will turn out the same way again.  We can sometimes get caught up in assumptions, I know I do this, I assume things are a certain way just based off of how they appear, definitely something that I continue to work on because this mindset is not very helpful!

Distortions1

Another aspect that creates distortions in our lives are our own fears and anxieties.  We all have things in life that make us uncomfortable at some point or another.  I’m sure that we have all felt like someone didn’t like us, or that the world was against us.  Picture this, you met someone new, they are quiet and don’t really want to engage in conversation with you.  Different people will have a different response to this, some will figure that the individual is just shy or reserved and needs time to become comfortable, others might think that the individual doesn’t like them, or doesn’t enjoy their company, they may wonder what they have done wrong.  What about when your boss e-mails you and wants to set up a meeting, some may just take this gesture as a normal part of business, where other people may worry that they are in trouble, or about to be given bad news.  We can see how our mind can cause us to see people and situations in a distorted way.

We can easily create a lot of unneeded stress in our lives by not seeing a person for who they are, or a situation for what it is.  It’s hard not to do, I struggle with this myself, but it is helpful for us to remember that things are not always as they seem.  

Distortions2

Paranormal: Life Beyond

For most of us, we go about our daily lives not thinking about the inevitable, unless we know of someone who is sick or who has passed away, we don’t typically think of death. We all have different views about what happens to our souls after we pass away. For me, I believe that when we die we go to Heaven. I truly believe that there is a life beyond anything that we can begin to understand waiting for us. I’ve always believed this to be true, but have an even deeper understanding of this since having many paranormal experiences from childhood that still continue to this day.

As a child, I grew up in two homes that had a spirit inside. I was scared out of my mind being a child and not being aware of why this was happening to me. The spirits were thankfully good ones, but scared me nonetheless. I recall times where I could hear breathing and footsteps, things would fly off of the counter, the TV would turn on and off all by itself, sometimes many times in a row as if it were trying to make its presence known. There was just an energy in these homes that was enough to give someone chills. Although these experiences created an immense amount of anxiety for me as a child, now that I am an adult those experiences are actually rather comforting and uplifting knowing that life on Earth is not the end of our existence. I always knew that life did not stop here, however having actually experiencing it just furthers my beliefs.

I have unfortunately lost several people that I was extremely close to and having experiences after their passing has given me so much peace and reassurance that one day we will all be reunited with our loved ones. Again, you may have different beliefs and I absolutely respect that, I am just sharing my experiences and how I feel on this subject. Please feel free to comment below if you have had any paranormal experiences from beyond!