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Just Take A Bite

“There is no truth. There is only perception.”

— Gustave Flaubert. 

 

“But you don’t understand….. my perception is all that should matter to you.” {Hahahaha. I crack me up sometimes!}

And, laughter aside, this IS the view most all of us embrace from time to time (or even most the time!), whether it’s preferred weather, favorite apple, the condition of the State of the World, or even …. well, you fill in the blank: large or small – each truth you hold.

Perception has to do with the senses of each individual. “The organization, identification, and interpretation of…”  taste, touch, smell, sound, sight. The echo-form of each gets translated into personal thoughts about likes-dislikes: feels good-lousy, foul-aromatic, discordant-pleasing, soothing-scratchy, “etc., etc., etc.” (thank you ‘King of Siam!’)  Then those thoughts become opinions…… and we all know what opinions are like! (heh heh)

Consequently, and …. moving right along, while using those personal opinions …. everyone becomes Pygmalion ~ taking their idealized, giving it a kiss, and seeing it come to life as Truth. (I’ve definitely kissed a frog or two, and a perception, myself!)

Take steak.  Throughout kidhood, adolescence, young adulthood I never got the Big Deal about steak. Didn’t care for it. Found it pretty dry and tasteless.  Both the ‘O’ Club (at those rare celebratory events), and my mom, cooked steak well-done ~ just like dad liked it.  I never knew there was a condition called “medium” or even “medium well.”  OMGosh!  Years later, imagine the gustatory delight when I finally acquiesced into taking ‘just a bite’ of my then-spouse’s steak:  Savory. Juicy. Full of flavor. Whoa!! Perceptions changed in an instant! Therefore, my Truth changed too. In an instant.

Imagine a world, both inner and outer, where each individual would be willing to ‘take just a bite’ of something preconceived as lousy/foul/discordant/scratchy. Hmmm. Perceptions could change. Not will; yet could. (There IS that little thing called ‘willingness’ in there too.) Willing to be emotionally and mentally open to the potentiality of a different experience, ….thus thought, ….thus opinion. Wow.  Maybe new truth.  Maybe the OPOs (other people’s opinion) weren’t as ‘wrong’ as I originally believed. Huh.

So.  At those times you’ve been beating the drum ~ shaking the saber ~ sharpening the axe ~ hellbent on proving “I’m right. They’re wrong,” pause just a moment. Breathe. Be willing to put the axe or saber or drum aside for j-u-s-t  a moment. (Yes, you can keep it close by so when “you’re right” you can easily grab it up again.) Yet, in that moment between ~ go on ~ just take a bite.

You might be surprised. 

You may have found a new ‘Truth.”

How cool is that !