Apple Perception
An apple is placed on a round table surrounded by twelve chairs. On the chairs sat people from all walks of life. Their eyes set on the fruit. At the count of three, they shouted the first sentence that came to mind at the sight of the apple. Guess what? All of them have different things to say.
The same scenario applies in real life. When you walk into a crowd, a group or even your office, you become that apple. You are being judged on first impression. Everyone makes their own perception of you based on the way you look, how your style your hair, what you wear, how you talk and walk, how you walk and what fragrance you have on.
Nothing can take that perception away from them. You can’t change what they think of you overtime. Even if you can change what they think of you, it would take days, months and maybe years. Maybe that’s why I give up trying to get others to understand me. I just let them perceive the person I am the way they choose to because at the end of the day, I know myself best.
But the strange thing is while another person calls you smart, someone else can label you as a stupid ass. While your boyfriend thinks you are the most beautiful person on earth, another can spread the news about your ugliness. While people who believe in you have faith in your successful future, another already cursed you with everlasting failure.
How powerful can one’s perception be? Perception is the process of obtaining, interpreting, selecting and organizing information – or so said my lecturer when I was studying Psychology at college. The first idea always seems to be the everlasting one. The first impression always becomes the basic fundamental of one’s perception.
Today I watched as the people around me share about their perceptions on me. (You don’t believe people actually do that, eh?!) They talked about my personality, characteristics, habits and attitude. I just sat there and thought, “Hey, are they talking about another girl or have I been giving them the wrong impression all these while?”
No one will ever see you as you. No one will ever love you as you. No one will ever know the you inside of your body. No one but YOU. So I don’t blame others when they say things like, ‘You have terrible mood swings’ or ‘You are a foolish girl for making such a decision’. Even worst are things like ‘I think you are the most quiet person on earth’ or ‘Are you a dumb writer?”.
At the end of the day, I know who I am inside and I love myself for me. And that’s the most important of them all. This applies to everyone, if only you know that you matters most.
Originally written by Gina Yap Lai Yoong © 2006
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