Reality from reality

Reality from reality

Every day we are faced with multitudes of external experiences
which deluge our senses.

How do we manage to deal with and focus on those which are
important and those which are not. This article looks to explain
how we manage this feat using filters to focus on the essentials
and ignore those events which are not essential to us.

As previously covered all life events are external experiences
which we process, categorise and store in our mind. As that
process takes place we add context to the experience based
on what it means to us. If the event is of importance we
may attach an emotional context to the experience.
If the event is something of a trivial inconvenience.
It will receive less context. In this way we build up our
library of experience, and commit a level of importance to
each event.

Some of these events become beliefs and truths, some
become conditions by which we make judgments, whilst the
majority are used to as reference points to make decisions
as we move through daily life. This library is in essence our
entire lifetime of experience and learning.
It forms our personal reality.
Our brain has been proven to be limited in the amount of data
it can process at any one time. In order for it to deal with the
incredible amount of data passing through it each day. It
resorts to a series of filters to control the data flow.

Deletions: The first of these is a bit like the rubbish bin on a computer.
The mind simply deletes the data completely. No attempt is
made to process the data after it has passed beyond that moment
in time.
Examples of this may be driving, we have an extreme focus on
what is going on at that moment in time. What went before it
no longer has any relevance and is therefore forgotten. Try to
recall every thing from your last driving experience. Chances
are only things which took on some form of relevance will be
recalled.

Distortions: Here the input is referenced and compared to our
existing knowledge base, however it is altered in such a way as
to fit in with our concept of what it should mean.
Distortion allows us to create, manipulate, and mould the sensory
data into a unique set of ideals.
Which fit into to our own personal model of the world. Is it one
of the main reasons why different people looking at the same
thing, can hold different perspectives on it. We see the same thing,
yet we interpret what we see in different ways

Generalisations: Here the sensory data is once again compared
to our knowledge base. We then make an evaluation of the
data and categorise the experience under a specific label.
That label is accepted as a fact in our sense of reality.

We do this in an effort to simplify the task of categorising
experience, which helps to us make quick decisions in the future.
Without the ability to generalize, it would become extremely hard t
o make decisions based on facts as we see them.

When taken to the extreme they can be the underlying cause of
for some our most serious behaviour and attitude issues.

These then are the main filters used to control the flow of sensory
data through our minds every second of every day. Without
them we would be overwhelmed with sensory data and be
unable to function as we do.

Hope this article proved interesting

All the best

Mark Reed