Perception Is Reality
I pray that we are able to recognize that our belief or truth is only part of the whole truth and that those who ascribe to a different belief or truth also have part of that whole. In this recognition, may we be gentle with those who disagree with us, embracing their humanity as One with our own.
(If you don’t have time for prayer AND reading this post, please choose prayer. Novena rituals and prayer)
Perception is reality. Media has operated on that premise for decades to sell us products. And many of us have wholeheartedly embraced thier reality without question. But what if “they’re” wrong? What if we’re wrong?
Quantum physics tells us that the observer changes reality by the act of observation. So, a big question, as we seek to create peace, is how do we observe our reality? Do we have an awareness that goes beyond the media-fed perception?
What we perceive is so limited not only by our certainty in our belief, but also by the vastness of what there is to know. Five years ago, I came upon the quote below (author unknown). It reminds me of how little I actually know.
Before you judge others or claim any absolute truth, consider that: You can see less than 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum and hear less than 1% of the acoustic spectrum. As you read this, you are traveling at 220 kilometers per second across the galaxy. Ninety percent of the cells in your body carry their own microbial DNA and are not “you.”The atoms in your body are 99.9999999999999999% empty space and none of them are the ones you were born with, but they all originated in the belly of a star. Human beings have 46 chromosomes, two less than the common potato. The existence of the colors of the rainbow depends on the conical photoreceptors in your eyes; to animal without cones, the rainbow’s colors do not exist. So you don’t just look at the rainbow, you create it. This is pretty amazing, especially considering that all the beautiful colors you see represent less than 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Anger and 
Acceptance Color Our Perceptions
As we get closer to this Presidential inauguration, still so marred by anger and resentments, I hope that we can become more open to the reality that we don’t know what will happen but that we can co-create a reality based on what we perceive and what we believe.
Plus, we can pray for some miracles. Because as St. Augustine once said, “Miracles are not contrary to nature but only contrary to what we know about nature.”
What we know and what we perceive about Donald Trump is only part of his truth and his reality. I believe we will be better served if our collective energy focuses on the potential good that can come from his term with the trust that if there is no good forthcoming, our nation can survive the four years until the next election.