Perceptions

When Jesus taught us, using the beatitudes, he demonstrated that truth is not always what we believe it to be! Indeed, it is most often, the opposite. How can we help others to understand that our perceptions drive us to act and form judgment, and how this leads to our own detriment? 

 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12 NASB

The Poet William Blake said, "When the doors of perception are cleansed, man will see things as they truly are, infinite." The reality of what he said was possibly more profound than he knew at the time, or maybe it was not. I do not know the depths of his religious or spiritual thoughts or beliefs might have been, but whatever the case he was very close to the real truth. Having been created by God, who is an infinite being, we do not have a comprehensive or exhaustively infinite insight into reality, but we can know the Creator who does. God gave us 2 eyes so we could not only see, but that we might also have depth perception. Depth perception gives us the ability to see everything visually as they truly appear. If our depth of field is impaired the result is that some things we see up close might be in focus, but other aspects of what we see (things not right in front of us) will be out of focus (or not true to reality). If we try to live independently without God, and in turn try to interpret reality apart from God we will become fixed on those things that are affecting us at each moment. Being fixated like this will cause us to often miss the bigger picture of what God has planned, done, or is in the process of doing in our life and the world around us. The "Now Generation" is a great, although sad, example of not being able to see past the present. Shortsightedness in God's economy will almost always lead to strife, hard times, misunderstandings, and discontentment. These are the hallmarks of not seeking the assistance of the One who is infinite to see the truth that is reality. As created human beings who desperately desire our lives to be consistent and free from trouble, we will go to great lengths to reject a message that implies we’re wrong.

I will end this post here:

Some early studies concerned with prejudice show that we’re quite capable of reordering our perceptions of the world around us in order to maintain our conviction that we’re right. A group of white, middle-class New York City residents were presented with a picture of people on a subway. Two men were in the foreground. One was white, one was black. One wore a business suit, one was clothed in workman’s overalls. One was giving his money to the other who was threatening him with a knife. Now as a matter of fact it was the black man who wore the suit, and it was he who was being robbed by the white laborer. But such a picture didn’t square with the prejudices of the viewers. To them, white men were executives, black men were blue collar workers. Blacks were the robbers, whites the victims. And so they reported what their mind told them they saw—that a black laborer was assaulting a white businessman.

(Griffin, 1976)

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Em Griffin, The Mindchangers, Tyndale House, 1976, pp. 48-9

Question from Brooke

Are there any characteristics or components of your cultural identity that you purposely want to change?

Brooke,

 Your question is very interesting. The easy answer is that I would love to have more ability, be more attractive, speak multiple languages, and reach the top of the socioeconomic totem pole. Seriously, wouldn't everyone wish the same things? However, also seriously, I am very content with my cultural identity. I know what people think when I say something like this, "yeah, I would be content if I was a white male born in the U.S.A. because they have it made." I like the old adage of walking a mile in someone's shoes because of the truth we could learn by doing so. Do I have it easy because of who I am "culturally speaking"? The answer might shock some, but I really don't have it that easy. A great example is how when something is, or is perceived as, a cultural injustice we, as a culture, tend to over react to the point of absurdity. Follow me here, does there need to be equal opportunity to pursuing a college education, or should those who have marginalized in the past get special treatment (advantages) at the expense of others (read: like me)? The answer to this question forms the basis of why even those like me might want to change things about our cultural identity. Sometimes I wish I had more information about my Native American heritage (my maternal great grandmother was 100%) so I could get an easier ride through college. However, I purposely did not pursue this information, and this decision has certainly influenced my cultural identity. I guess you might say I wanted to use ethnicity to gain an advantage over others like me. I have since repented of this sin. However, even being aware of my situation has made more observant of the disproportionate influence that ethnic minorities can have within our dominant culture. Am I cool with my cultural identity? Yep. Would I change anything? Yep...

Question from Kristi

Do you feel obligated to belong to a certain culture? I do not see myself put in a box labeled by society’s standards.

Kristi,

I like to think of myself as ethnorelativistic regarding my cultural identity. I think of cultural identity as a moving target. I know I cannot change my race, gender, and some other things but the remainder seem to be constructs I either conform to or allow others to mold me into. My personal identity (some might consider a construct of sorts) is defined by my cultural context. That means I kind of adapt to the dominant culture that immediately surrounds me. My cultural identity is also shaped, probably more than through adaptation, by my unique life experiences. This probably accounts for my idiosyncratic behaviors. However, considering I maintain a predominantly internal locus of control with a firm grasp on God ultimately running the whole show, my personal worldview plays a huge part in the cultural identity process. With this in mind, I do not allow myself to be labeled by society in general. I am a white male who was born in the U.S.A., but other than that I consider my identity as fluid. Fluid does not mean that I will adjust at random, but fluid in that as I continue to gain a better understanding of who I am and the world around me changes, initiated by me, are very possible. So, for me, belonging or conforming to a certain culture is 10% somewhat predetermined and 90% how I shape my own life.