I’ve come to believe over the years that the way we experience the world is unavoidably filtered by our perception.
To unbox that statement further, our brains can only process so much information about the world around us. Our perception is the lens with which we filter that information, and by extension, where we place our attention.
For example, I’m writing this post at Kitsilano beach. The array of information available for me to perceive here is massive. On a macro level, I could be paying attention to things like the trees, the sand, the weather, the iPad in my hand, or my friends. That’s one level of perception. On a more micro level, let’s say I pay attention to the weather. It’s hot and sunny out. I could be perceiving that as a way to get a tan, or a way to get skin cancer.
Philosophers and psychologists alike agree that controlling this perceptual lens is key to an enjoyable life. If you frame your outlook well, you can enjoy any day, overcome any circumstance, and lead a fulfilling existence. Basically, it’s the key to everything.
The thing is, ‘perception’ isn’t exactly a conscious choice. It’s really hard to control, and even if you could, there are no absolute answers about what you should perceive. Take the beach example: is it more “right” to pay attention to the beauty of nature around you, or the company of those you’re there with? For that matter, is it even better to perceive the sun as an opportunity to tan instead of as a cancer threat? I don’t want to make any value claims about what one should pay attention to in life.
What I will say is that people should be conscious of this cognitive process as it pertains to their own life experience.
Yogis and other meditatively-inclined groups spend lifetimes learning to control their perceptual lens, often with great success. But what about for everyone else? I don’t want to dedicate my life to meditation, and frankly, I’m not sure I could. So how can I ensure that I am cultivating a healthy perception?
Reading as a vessel for perception
I’ve found one activity colours my perception better than anything else: reading. Specifically, regularly reading non-fiction. It sounds kind of rudimentary in a way, but there are a couple reasons it’s actually quite powerful:
First, reading a book forces you to consider what you’re interested in. Just by choosing a book, you’re making a value claim. Even if you don’t consider my theory about perception, if you read 1 book every 2 months for 60 years of life, that’s only 360 books. Each book you read is drawing from your finite pool of lifelong reading time. Making a conscious choice like that regularly can be powerful.
Second, when immersed in a book, if it’s a good one, you’ll find yourself considered the world around you in that lens. If you are reading about horticulture, won’t be able to help but deeply consider the process in which the plants around you were grown. If you’re reading about philosophy, you’ll see the application of that philosophy everywhere.
In this sense, non-fiction helps you to create the reality you perceive. Simply by choosing a new topic, you allow yourself to see the world around you in an entirely different way – and a way you can control.With that in mind, I’ll close by listing 5 books that have most coloured my perception of reality over the years. I’d like to think they closely correlate to areas of the world in that I’m interested in: