Just for a lark, this morning, I sent the picture of the aircraft carrier John F Kennedy, making port at Malta, to a few of my friends.........
The reaction was both interesting and immediate. Some said it was an awe inspiring picture, another said the ship had a peculiar shape and a third that the size was phenomenal. Interestingly, the first time, I saw the picture, my mind skipped the obvious and went straight to the plight of the Captain of this behemoth. He would have had his heart in his mouth, till the ship was safely secured at a jetty.Why did all of us perceive something different in a similar picture? My experience as a sea captain, and experience in similar situations, caused me to sympathize with the captain of the carrier.The others were not sea folk so saw something else.
The point I'm trying to make is that perception comes from our experiences and just as one object can give rise to multiple percepts, so an object may fail to give rise to any precept at all: if the precept has no grounding in a person's experience, the person may literally not perceive it.It is the reason why, experienced people are more perceptive and arguably better problem solvers. It would also follow that people who are more open to learning or experience have richer experiences and would be more valuable human resources, in most settings.
It is also important to realize that we have had diverse experiences in life, so our perception and following behavior can be very different. You can expect the unexpected!
It is something to think about!
