Seeing is believing?
“If I hadn’t believed it, I wouldn’t have seen it.” — Marshall McLuhan
This seems counterintuitive but it explains why witness accounts of the same event vary widely. It also explains some of our current political climate, where an entire nation can see the same video and come away with opposite explanations about what happened and why.
But in the private world of our own minds, it’s another example of the idea that we see what we’re looking for.
Do you believe there is beauty in the world? If you do, you’ll see it.
Do you believe there is good out there? Then it will be easy to spot.
The opposite is also true. The most negative people I know see examples everywhere supporting their narrative that the deck is stacked against them, everyone is out to get them, and that everything is a scam.
Confirmation bias is real, of course.
This isn’t about ignoring real atrocities or trying to manipulate what you see to fit your story. It’s about being aware and making an effort to see things objectively, AND, choosing to believe in beauty and goodness so you’ll see more of it.
xo,
Beth
