The power of perspective

 

- 2 minutes

The debates and discussions on what kind of world we live in are eternal. Pessimist say it’s the worst possible situations. Optimist say it’s the best. And an ordinary person doesn’t say anything! So, is this world a heaven or hell? Or its just another ‘ordinary’ world.

In my opinion, the world is a place filled with all shades of all colours. What you chose to focus on is totally your choice. Let me explain this with an example:

Most of us believe that while being on the road, they get more red lights than green. Scientist on the other hand differ. They say that the probability of getting a red and green light are in fact equal. While there might be more red lights experienced in a short period of time, the average gets evened out over the long term. But they why do we feel its not so? Why we feel that probably our stars are not aligned well and we are doomed to face more red lights that green? While, in reality, we are facing same number of red and green lights. Researchers say, its because on seeing red light, which is an unpleasant event, the brain remembers it intensely. Whereas when we face green light, the brain doesn’t register it as an event worth remembering.

So, it’s the way our brain has evolved makes us remember unpleasant things with a stronger intensity than the pleasant ones. And it makes total sense from evolutionary point of view too. It was in the best interest of early humans as it increased their chances of survival.

That ability of brain to remember unpleasant events with higher intensity is hardwired in our biology. Hence, in the moments of despair, as the number of such memories pile up, the inferiority complex builds up, which if unaddressed, can get worse over time.

So, in the absolute sense, we are neither in heaven nor are we in hell. The world is what it is. What part of it you get to experience and where you chose to focus, builds your perception. Hence, we need to make a dedicated effort to remind ourselves of the victories we had, no matter how small. Because if we won’t appreciate our struggle, who else will?