Recognizing Our Perceptual Boundaries
Our minds are incredible meaning- makers. We can’t help it, it just works. Our brains want to make sense out of everything. Our mind works off of our experiences and what we have learned. Humans have a perceptual control system. We act in ways that keep our perceptions of the world within acceptable boundaries that we set. Think about it. You don’t have to look at the thermostat to know if your heat or air conditioning is set at the correct temperature or working – the perceptual boundary you have set for yourself does it for you. I use that example because we all have different perceptual boundaries. Don’t believe me? Think about the last time you had an argument over where to set the thermostat – one of you was too cold and the other too hot – it was more about each person’s perceptual boundary, not the actual temperature number.
I already did one post (Setting Our Consciousness To Engage) inspired by the great book Slow Time Between the Stars by John Scalzi. Now, this post is inspired by the only character in the book, an AI being, आशा Āśā. आशा Āśā said, “I can set my perceptual boundary at any level I want. I could every day count the stars that I have the ability to distinguish, and the photons I receive from each, tally them, and set them in a database for future consideration. But that’s expensive. Energy is hard to come by between the stars. There are choices to be made on how to expend it and why” (Scalzi, p.17). We humans don’t quite have that ability, but our minds are receivers, and our brains pick up what we program them to pick up. In some cases we need to program it to pick up more, in others maybe less.
“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Perceptual boundary refers to the limits of our perception or understanding of a certain situation or concept. It is important to recognize our own perceptual boundaries in order to be open to new perspectives and ideas. By being aware of these boundaries, we can expand our knowledge and improve our decision-making process.
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