Your perception of me is a Reflection of You; My Reaction to You is an Awareness of Me

• 29 Aug 2022

“Swami Vivekananda said Awareness is a simple act of acknowledging the reality as it is.”

Any person's perception is an assumption they make about other people on their own. A variety of elements influence how perception develops. These elements could be internal or external. The way you think, your experiences in life, how people treat you, etc. Preconceived ideas or any other form of self-conceived notions might be part of perception. Perception is often believed, as an organized experience of the sensory information received by our five senses. We frequently make connections between what we see, hear, and touch and our current experiences, which calls for reflection and the understanding of our inner sentiments, needs, and thoughts and viewpoints. As a result, perception connects our inner and outer worlds. Every sensory input we get is processed by our own system of previous worldly encounters.

Your inner environment and personality will influence how you view me, or how you form an opinion of myself. The fact that perception is universal means it is cosmopolitan. Although the practice can disrupt many different types of relationships and situations, people often ascribe it to the need to shield oneself against painful inner turmoil and discomfort. These impressions gradually and persistently try to instill themselves into our experience, rigidifying our perspective of the outside world. Look at you for a moment right now. Who lives with you, whose photos are on display? How about the workplace? What are their responses to you and how do you respond to each of them? Would you agree that when we interact with someone, we are actually just seeing ourselves and our life reflected in their mirror? We encounter this problem on a daily basis. It is an inside struggle that shows up as an external conflict, an internal deadlock manifests as a physical impasse and a practical challenge.

My reaction to you is an awareness of me because my awareness produces a huge impact on my actions. Since my consciousness has a significant influence on my behaviors that is why my response to you is an awareness of myself. Nothing remarkable is necessary for us to become aware; all it takes is conscious practice. A reflection of your character is how other people see you and treat you. Your response to people depends on your awareness of yourself. We all spend a lot of time attempting to change our personalities, ideals, and ways of living in order to fit in with others and not worry about how they will see us.

One of the biggest misconceptions of our time is what other people think of you. We cannot focus all the time on issues like what others think about us. What people think is entirely should not be the concern of us. Life is full of challenges and challenges can be countered only with a calm and composed mind. Having troubles about what people think should not allow our mind to be stabilized. We should be conscious only of those things which are in our hands, not of the things which are in other’s hands. If our state of mind is influenced by people's measurable kinds of perceptions, then it is our weakness. We should strengthen our mind in such a way that not any kind of outer circumstances destabilize our peace and calmness of mind. People's perception of me is their own creation not of mine so I should not care about the perception of others. If I am right and my way of life is appropriate, then I have to work just on our way and people's perception will change with the changes in time.

It would be helpful to keep in mind that each individual has a unique tale to share if you want to be able to immediately presume good will. My words and deeds speak volumes about the kind of person I am and aspire to be. What other people think of me and how they see me is of no relevance to me because I have no control over it.

The capacity to observe oneself precisely and objectively via contemplation and introspection is known as self-awareness. According to the self-awareness theory, you are not your ideas; rather, you are the object that is witnessing your thoughts. You are the thinker, different from your thoughts.

Consider that I am sad and that we are both gazing at a painting of a sunset. What do I, personally, interpret the picture to mean? My interpretation of the image, which is probably far less pleasant than yours, is relevant. It's likely that the artwork will come off as cheap and unattractive. Or, to put it another way, even if we are both staring at the identical sight, I'm sure to see it totally differently from you. Our feelings, ideas, and mental state all play a part in it. The way I see the image in my case is being influenced by my anger. The way you view the picture in your circumstances may also be influenced by your optimistic outlook.

How we feel affects how we see the world and other people. Even the most beautiful sunset cannot seem great to someone who thinks life is hard. When you label someone as being self-centered, it's probable that you're just a little bit selfish. Conversely, when you have a positive opinion of someone, it's usually because you feel confident in yourself. To put it another way, your opinions about someone are a reflection of who you are. They represent the sentiments and thoughts you have for yourself.

People's preconceptions, comprehension, and knowledge about my personality may define my personality for them, yet this assumption does not really represent who I am. I shouldn't be concerned because I have no control over these things. I should work on controlling my emotions and actions in reaction to how others see me. In terms of ethics and moral ideals, I should act in a way that is justifiable. I should act with openness, and my attitude should be inclusive. Wisdom of self-knowledge is the victorious aspect of the fight that humanity fought inside themselves. In these conditions, the voice of consciousness should be obeyed since only it can guide a human in these chaotic circumstances.

According to Lord Krishna, if uncontrolled desires are not subdued, they have the potential to destroy all of the intelligence, knowledge, and skills that a person has long since acquired. In addition, there will be a greater likelihood that the person will commit sins and wrong deeds in order to obtain immediate gratification and pleasure.

As we all know, Gita's philosophy is well recognized for its magnificent realities and life logic, which are well respected across the world. We must transform ourselves from inside. Revolution should always come from inside. We should practice self-control like a monk. Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta teaches us to control our senses if we want to be victorious in the Mahabharata of inner self. According to Lord Krishna, the foregoing scriptures indicate that cravings are the most difficult opponents of intellectual beings who have goals to attain. Desires may be anything that causes an individual to want and seek sudden gratification, causes an unstable mind, and diverts individuals from their primary goals of self-control.

Serenity of mind, good-heartedness, silence, self-control, purity of nature,
these together are called mental austerity. — Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta