Perception vs. Reality

When I was in sales, one of the first things I learned is that if a customer perceived they had a problem - I had a problem. It did not matter if my product was the cause of their problem, I needed to help them fix it.

Perception vs. reality is also a recurring theme in a lot of sci-fi and horror fiction. The Nightmare on Elm Street movies and Stephen King and Clive Barker novels are just a few examples. This idea lends itself well because, in this genre, it is easier to take a basic human condition and explore the extreme consequences of it.

An extreme psychological case of perception vs. reality would be found in a paranoid schizophrenic. They have a reality based upon things that are happening purely in their own minds. It is very real to them and every one else's normal actions and reactions are thusly misinterpreted.

A mild case of this condition would be jealousy. Or perhaps a transference of past experiences to present situations. This is always unfair to the recipient of this behavior and usually wrecks havoc with the relationship.

I have been thinking about all of this because I was listening to a newer version of an old song the other day and suddenly the very familiar lyrics smacked me upside the head. Suddenly I began to recognize this pattern of behavior in myself and in dear friends around me. When you finally get it, it tends to make you more considerate of others and less quick to over-react to things yourself.

The song is Norah Jones' version of Hank William's Cold, Cold Heart.

I've tried so hard, my dear, to show that you're my every dream
Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme
A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart?

Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue
And so my heart is payin' for things I didn't do
In anger, unkind words I say that make the teardrops start
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart?

Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue
And now I know your heart is shackled to a memory
The more I learn to care for you, the more we drift apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart?



I would just like to add that we should all view the past as the past and that reality does taste a lot sweeter than perception. And that once you get it, you really, really do get it.

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