Our Perceptions

 Using the definitions in my first blog let's determine how our personal viewpoint can affect our perception of others. 

So then, can we be prejudiced without being racist? For the sake of simplicity, let's say:      Girl A is green.  Girl B is blue.  Both girls are eleven.

Green girl is from a large city, new to this different city school, aggressive with other students because she did not want to go to this school because she was out of her comfort zone. This green girl has been told all blue people hate them and that she should hate blue people.

Blue girl is from a small town and new to this city school. She is shy and this was the sixth time they have move during her life. Making friends was difficult for her. This blue girl was taught to treat all people with respect no matter what they look like.

Now it is lunch time in a large cafeteria where hundreds of kids are having lunch. Blue girl is sitting with another girl that she has formed a slight bond with. The green girl comes by with her tray and sees something on blue girl's tray that she wants. Green girl sits her tray in across the table from blue girl's tray. She demands that the blue girl give her the desired object. Blue girl tells her no. So the green girl that pulls out a knife out and threatens to stab the blue girl. Now, the blue girl is scared and allows green girl take the food because blue girl doesn’t want to cause trouble or get hurt. Blue girl has never had anyone treat her this way before in her life. She is afraid now and this girl continues to pick on her daily. The green girl continues to pick on blue girl because she discovered she was afraid. 

Is it safe then to say that blue girl might become prejudiced against green people?

I think it is likely. It is her first experience like that. It changes her perspective of what any person might be like blue OR green. She realizes that she is no longer safe in this world. Does that mean that she cannot change that thought with the next green person she meets? 

Maybe and maybe not. She might be okay with the next green person she meets or she might be fearful.

Therefore, with every new green person our blue girl meets, she is afraid because she has now associated fear with green people. 

Does this mean she is prejudiced? Yes, she does not know any other green people yet.

How can she possible know in the moment if they will also threaten to stab her or not?

SHE CANNOT. 

THIS IS PERCEPTION: she only has her understanding of the green girl's effect on her. At no time did this blue girl profess to hate green people or think she was better than they were. In fact, this blue girl might believe that green people are superior to her because she was afraid and was not strong enough to say no a second time. 

Does it mean she is a racist?  

No, that is not the definition of racism. For blue girl to be racist she would have to hate all green people because of that one green girl. 

Would the blue girl be cautious of new green people she met?

More than likely. After all, she would have to get to know them to determine whether they were just like that first green girl she met. 

Is it possible that over time  her perception of green people might change?

Yes, over time blue girl would learn to individually base her thoughts about others by the way each individual treats her. Therefore, it all depends on how people treat each other.

What we need to start thinking about is: What perception we are leaving other people to form?

In the end does it matter what others think of us? 

After all will they be there to judge us? Or is that something we do to ourselves? If it is, should we be trying to be the best version of ourselves?

Definitions

 

Let me be specific about the purpose of this new blog. First, I will start with some definitions that will pertain to this blog. Then more thoughts and ideas will come.

Evolution:

 1. the gradual development of something from a simple to a more complex form.

2. to change or vibrate at a higher frequency.

3. to grow, rise, flourish

4. maturity. 

5. moving from one form to another spiritually.

 

Revolution:

 1. the movement of an object in a circular or elliptical course around another or about an axis or center.

2. a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people's ideas about it.

3. to turn or to roll back.

4. a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system.

Let us clarify the definitions of racism and prejudice.

Racism: 

a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

 Prejudice (has two definitions)

1. injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights. 

 2. adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge.

Now let us talk about fear and perception:

FEAR is a painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread.

 Perception is the way you think about or understand someone or something.

 

To ALL Peoples of the United States of America and the rest of the Earth

To ALL Peoples of the United States of America and the rest of the Earth,

What is going on in this country is crazy. Our country is being torn apart. Lives are being destroyed, communities torn apart, the fires of hatred are being stirred. I know people have been hurt and are angry. Anger can be righteous but care must be taken to make it effective and not malicious. To keep doing what some people are doing is insanity. You see I was taught “God, family, country.” I was taught to respect all people regardless of color, age, gender, or economic status, to respect my belongings, to respect the belongings of others. I came from a family that served our country and I did the same. I came from a family that was peace loving and worked hard for everything and I have done my best to honor that tradition. I never thought I’d see days like these. There are times that I have wondered in the last few days why God hasn’t just wiped the Earth clean of us because I thought we must surely be the cancer of the Earth bent on the destruction of it and ourselves. But we are all God’s children and we are all loved. We are not the cancer. We are amazing, wonderful beings capable of love, capable of peace, and capable of making the world a better place for all people. My brothers and sisters we have been misled, there is an agenda underneath all this that has been going on longer than this country has been established. Some are just not seeing it and we will not be in control of our true destiny unless we stand up and unite together against it. Do not think the powers that are causing this separation of us actually care about any of us. We are all the pawns in a game of the greedy. They disguise it with wars, inciting riots, and telling us that we hate each other. It is an enormous plot with them pitting us against each other, waiting for us to destroy each other so that they can have it all. We are the mere stepping stones to their greater wealth and power leaving us all with nothing. Yes, there are those that hate others and that is because that is what they have been taught and shown by family, movies, music, and the media. Come together and talk. Demand change. Not the shallow conversations but the deep and meaningful conversations. How can we fix something that we don’t know? I know the ancestors have made many mistakes, but we are capable of fixing them. It begins with teaching our children. Communication is the key to change. If we fail to talk, unite, and open our eyes to see what group is truly pulling the strings, this country will fall and we will be destroyed. Seek the knowledge of what we can become. Love yourself, your family, your friends, your fellow humans, your communities, Our country and our Earth. We are all one. If some of us fail we all fail.
ALL THAT MATTERS IS LOVE! Love one another.

Shared with love and respect to all the people of this Earth.
May you learn to live and love with peace in your heart.💜⭐️💜⭐️💜

Learning and Unlearning

We the human race have so much to learn and so much more to unlearn.