We’re all guilty of it, judging someone by his/her looks.
We’ve come across people who sit by passageways holding out a tin can. Some of these people may be simply begging for some loose change, however some may be busking for it. Where do we draw the line? It’s easy to think that anyone with some form of collection "cup" for money is a beggar. We are so used to it that sometimes we don’t even bother to look the second time. Completely oblivious that this person might be doing something out of choice. The beggars are doing it for whatever reason which makes them think that they have to resort to such means to make ends meet. The buskers on the other hand are really just doing what I like to call the spreading of love. They come in all forms, singing some karaoke version of a famous ballad, playing the harmonica, the er-hu (this traditional Chinese instrument) etc. Music isn’t the only genre. Most people, including myself, are usually in such a rush they just walk past them. But have you ever stopped and listened to one of these unexpectedly talented people?
I had the chance to do just that. I was waiting at the Bukit Batok Interchange for my bus to come, the usual run-of-the-mill stuff. The passageway linking the train station and the bus interchange is bound to have one or two people either giving out flyers or busking. I normally just glance and walk ahead. But since I was waiting nearby, the sounds form the buskers traveled well. The harmonica was playing some well-known tunes and I found it music to my ears. The music module I’m taking must be taking its toll on me. I never expected to enjoy music from buskers that much. That little experience really brightened up my day.
We can choose the way we want to perceive things, but sometimes its all part of our environment and culture. We can’t help it. All I’m saying is the next time you meet someone new, don’t let stereotypes bombard your way of thinking. Don’t let the perception of one type of humans affect your future perception of other fellow humans. Just like how we shouldn’t let our perception of beggars affect out perception of buskers.
4 comments:
Is it really a bad thing to perceive things quickly? Some consider it a gift. And others like Malcolm Gladwell would argue that initial perception is more accurate than deliberate consideration (http://www.gladwell.com/blink/index.html)
well initial perception is usually faulty as the human mind tends to oversimplify things/people. for example, you watch your favourite reality series and you like one perticular contestant a lot. but that is solely based on what he/she looks like and behaves on the show. and we all know that reality tv is really "reality" tv. you don't even know the person but yet you declare you love for this particular person. i've done that before and im sure at one point in our lives we encounter similar situations.
but i guess circumstances can differ from case to case. just try to look at the "what if" side of things the next time you perceive things :)
Perceptions are made by us but factors that affect our preceptions are our background(the ways we were brought up with), the preceptions of those around us and also in the case of our preception of a person.The first thing we see is their outfit. Followed by their body language.
Yea nicolette, i agree with you. before doing anything at alll, we should always think about the what if and the consequences of it. But then again, being humans, we always go all thway out to make mistakes unknowingly...haha
Well, you cannot deny the fact that first impressions are of utmost importance if you wish to portray a certain set of qualities when you are meeting someone/something new, like attending an interview for example. Of course, cliche to say but it is what is inside that matters most, albeit it is a huge bonus when both the inside and outside are beautiful.
Moving on to perceptions, what you mentioned was very true. Since most of us are living a very routine life, it is indeed very difficult for us to break out of the box to look at things at another level. It is very often an unforgettable event or exceptional experience that makes us realise that there are more than one angle to look at something.
Of course, trying to figure out the alternate view for everything all the time is very tiring if I may say and you may just miss the view of the pillar in front of you.
And sad to say, like you mentioned, all we can do is to try.
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