The vantage point

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.”
Aldous Huxley

People are unique and curious creatures. Consequently, everyone's perception of any given matter is inevitibly different. Remember the game played at baby showers where a tray of items is brought out for each guest to look at for say 30 seconds each. Then the tray is taken away and everyone is to write down exactly what is on the tray.

Some people will remember only one or two items. Some people remember all items in detail. Some people write down items that were not even on the tray to begin with, but they thought they should be because they would belong there.

The power of perception.

The same goes for witnesses testifying in a court room, while under oath to swear to tell the truth so help them, God. They may be testifying to the memory of what is in their mind to the best of their recollection. Or they may have a perception based on what someone else has told them about a certain situation. but, to the best of their recollection it is the truth so help them, God.

I have been in the court room listening to testimony on a jury trial for the last few days. The full article will appear in next weeks Messenger and posted on-line. No matter how many trials I listen to, and no matter what the charges are, this baby shower game is played out every time.

It is not just the items on the tray that are a variable to a trial. It is also the witnesses vantage point. Depending on what side of the tray one is standing may have an impact on what registers in the mind of a witness.

Even noises are perceived differently. Was the sound a thud or a bang? Was it quiet? Was it loud?

How about numbers. Was there a crowd? How many people make up a crowd anyway? Is it three or more or is it 10 or more?

Was it off to the side or in the middle?

Why is it one person can be struck by lightening and survive and another falls to the ground dead when stuck by lightening? Everybody is different and unique. One person may be left with bruises by bumping shin on a coffee table while another person will not have a mark after being hit by a Louisville Slugger.

Is the glass half full or half empty?

The power of perception is something to think about. I guess it is all in how you look at it.

“Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.”
Hans Margolius