Friday, August 17, 2007

Perception of Right or Wrong

Many times we all have seen that someone is doing something wrong. And we simply don't understand why that someone is doing it that way. Even if you talk to him about his wrong doings he will not accept it. He thinks he is doing right.

Our company bus driver drives very rash. For him, there is no meaning of speed limits indicated on boards on the roadside. And he is always in hurry. He can't wait much for people giving way to him on road. I don't remember the bus horn silent for more than 20 seconds in a moderate traffic condition. He keeps pressing it without seeing that the person driving in front of him is also in hurry and he also has to reach somewhere as soon as possible. Our driver thinks that only he has to reach office and no one else.

One day after reaching office, when I was getting down, I asked the driver, "Kyon itna horn bajate ho bhai" (brother, why do you use so much horn). He smiled and innocently said, "Sir horn nahin bajaenge to koi side nahin dega" (Sir if I don't blow horn then no one will give us way). And the next day also he was driving the same way again, no difference.

If we look at it closely, we'll find that nothing is wrong with the driver. It is only the way how he perceive things as right and wrong. He grew up in such a surrounding where he was not told about what is right and what is wrong? So he sees things slightly differently. Similar to the drivers case another example would be the terrorists who are spread all over the world. They kill people and do not regret also. They see this as right because no one has taught them that it is wrong. In the terrorist camps young people are trained by changing there perception of right and wrong. They are brain washed. So that they don't feel sorry while killing someone.

Similar is the case when we are sitting in a meeting room, discussing over a design. Sometimes despite having a better design in front of us we tend to stick to what we have proposed. And we try to prove the superiority of our proposed design over the better one. Here ego is more power full element then the perception.

We have millions of cells in our brain, working together to enable our body to judge right and wrong in various circumstances. Keeping our mind surrounded with nice and right thoughts could make our minds better decision making devices.

3 comments:

Here n Now said...

I have a comment on final section:
That is why it is said that the company matters most, you become as your company is. When, where, how you get what company is again itself relative :)

Piyush said...

What we have to learn is that:

"The observation is as much a statement about the observer as it is about the observed."

If I see person X and I make the observation that X is bad, the observation is a statement not only about X but also about myself. A person Y looking at X might make an altogether different observation.

Everything in this world of relative reality is relative to the observer. However, the observer thinks what he/she observes is the absolute.

Everything that goes on in my mind is relative to me, however, I have a habit of believing that to be the absolute.

All beliefs are relative to the believer. Different believers will naturally believe different beliefs. Simply because beliefs are relative and not absolute.

What is the need to fight over beliefs then? :)

However, I'm impressed with your objective instincts.

Naveen Sharma said...

Good article.
I would want to add one statement based on my experience. Perception is equally important as environment and it is not essential perception can be traced to environment entirely. (Example: even real brothers may think differently, even though the upbringing may be quite similar.) Some perceptions have no visible reason and form part of our basic instincts.