The reality of perception
There is a statement that I have struggled with for some time:
Perception is reality.
I've walked with a number of individuals whose lives have been dramatically altered by the assumptions and perceptions others had of them and their actions. This is not to say that my friends were free from fault but often the understandings others had of these individuals was grounded in a enough of a reality that whatever claims were being made seemed logical.
The framework that people work from is reality. What we sense, experience, and perceive guide us and become our reality or truth through which we view ourselves, others and the world. We can not deny this, nor can we discount this.
No matter how much we would like to do otherwise.
We need not look any further than Moses to see an example of this. After responding to the beating of a fellow Hebrew with violence the following day he attempts to referee 'a fight between two Hebrews, they would not have it. They had seen Moses’ violent attempts at “helping” and were quite cynical about it. Their reaction to his unrefined and undisciplined leadership was, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”' (p. 38).
How others respond to us show how we are looked to as leaders - especially in the midst of conflict.
So Moses fled. We flee. And quickly.
When we come face to face with the devil inside many - if not most - of us run, shift, or adapt to hide from the reality of themselves they just encountered. We welcome self-realization when it comes through our own means but when forced to see it through the eye of another, we attempt to downplay and justify it.That is why in both life and leadership, we see individuals - we see ourselves - repeating the mistakes of the past. For to break free of that cycle feels too much of a burden. We attempt to control and adapt the environments around us instead of doing the hard work of changing ourselves.Some will stay just long enough in work places or locations until the facade begins crack - fleeing to another calling.
I was the first to watch you leave
Poor in soul, a dried up stream
You were the last of a dying breed
Prone to wander but born to lead
We have become a people of justified wanderers.
And so if we wander by default, then our first bold step might just be as simple as stopping. Being still. Being present - in the mess we've created and in the mess we've become.
To create a new perception. A new reality.
*Unless otherwise noted, the book that is referenced in these posts is from Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Barton.