“Humans see what they want to see”—Rick Riordan (The Lightning Thief)
The subtle difference between reality and perception can be reduced to one being objective and the other being subjective. This topic has been widely discussed in various theories, essays and stories where philosophers have tried to distinguish the two in the light of their own experiences and understanding.
Reality may exist independently of any human interpretation, but perceptions have multiplicity in relation to who is witnessing the reality. In simpler words, many types of filters, including emotions, knowledge, senses, personal biases and comprehension, are wedged between reality and perception.
A good example would be that of the world and the presence of all living beings here. While it is all part of an undeniable reality that could be very exciting for the majority, two literary giants of earlier centuries, belonging to regions far apart, have unique views.
According to Jacques, a character in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players”; and in a poetic rendition of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, “Bazeecha-e-atfal hai duniya meray aagay; hota hai shab-o-roz tamaasha meray agay” (The world before me is just a child’s trinket; Each day and night I behold its dramatics), meaning it is nothing but a frivolous existence. Likewise, various ideologies have presented their own versions of the world.
Reality is that parents love their offspring. They, especially the well-to-do, claim to be doing their best to make their children’s lives happy and comfortable, and undoubtedly from the material aspect, their success rate is reasonably high. The not-so-well-off also contend the same, going to umpteen extents within their limited resources. While appreciating their parents’ efforts, the children don't need to share the same wavelength with them. The level of mental ailments that are springing up today speaks volumes about the quality of parenting and its consequences.
Reality is that all human beings are adorned with the same flesh and blood, and have similar biological and emotional needs, but perceptions say that intelligence and cultural ethos are based upon colour, race and gender. So, an African black gentleman is apparently a savage compared to an American Caucasian mafia chief.
Likewise, because of their gender, women and transgender people are underrated as a species—the list can be long. How such deductions are made is an open secret which emanates from the concept of control by a powerful person, no matter how deficient in intellect that person may be.
Once the people get hooked, these false perceptions seep into their genes, preventing them from thinking straight or understanding truth in its unadulterated sense
Reality is that faith is personal to each individual, that another term for God is pure unconditional love, that good human conduct is sacred, that memorising like parrots verses from holy books is meaningless, that killing humans is a grotesque crime, that we have no right to judge people in any case and more specifically based on their faith, that no one has the right to claim being a spokesperson for God or God’s apostle, and that no one has the right to become a self-acclaimed guide to direct people to heaven.
Conversely, perceptions mean calling for forced conversions, instilling tremendous fear of God, torturing or slaying dissidents, believing memorising verses guarantees a pathway to heaven, claiming that killing infidels is a noble deed, passing judgements about other faiths as a matter of right, discriminating against humans on frivolous grounds, counselling the wayward, going to wars in the name of God, insisting on knowing the truth and declaring others as misguided.
The late Nizar Qabbani, a Syrian diplomat, poet and writer, has wonderfully portrayed these concepts in his poem Would You Permit Me? He has raised pertinent questions which are fundamental to the very existence of human beings as free and thinking individuals. No wonder he died in exile! Being ousted from one’s country and home is one of the perils mavericks encounter in almost all social setups of the world.
Socio-political and economic systems evolving have deliberately conflated perceptions to suit their own vested interests. For the purpose of propagating certain values, they cunningly wrap up realities in deceptive sugar-coated ideas, converting them into staple food for the thoughts they want to promote.
Once the people get hooked, these false perceptions seep into their genes, preventing them from thinking straight or understanding truth in its unadulterated sense. Thus, generations upon generations pass by holding onto the narratives that get conveniently inbuilt in their minds, deviation from which becomes a punishable transgression.
The brain is wired in such a fashion that the gap between its logical part and the programmed one is so narrowed that there is no room for thought processes to bloom. People become so comfortable with the established systems that when anyone tries to make them aware of their ignorance, that person is subjected to harsh criticism and judgment. In other words, societies prefer to slumber rather than suffer turbulence or awaken their faculties to act rationally.
With this background, it is easy to understand why Socrates was forced to drink poison, why the literati are imprisoned or killed, why dissenting voices are ruthlessly silenced and why religious codes are tampered with to raise fear instead of spreading the message of love and compassion. Why is public hatred deliberately invoked against anyone who dares to rebel against established, unjustified and unreasonable norms? Such is the power of perception that in the majority of instances, it has the capacity to conceal reality and truth.