Perception
is everything!
We live a good few miles away from the
local train station. I get a lift from the family during the winter/spring
months, as we have just one family car and public transport service does not
believe in providing a bus service after 7PM to where I live.
Over three years ago, on one of those rides
retuning home in the car…. just as my son was negotiating for his second toy
for his birthday, he asked me, “why can’t you get more money from the station?”
“What? why from the station?”, puzzled as I
was, “You mean, from the cash machine outside the station?”. He retorted
swiftly, which clarified things: “No daddy. Station is where you work daddy,
don’t you?”!!
Of course, he was right! Daddy gets dropped
off and picked up at the station, so that’s where he works. From
his point of view this was a very natural conclusion. I am guilty as charged, for not explaining where
I work to a 4 year old. We laughed our way home. But that made me think.
Is everything
our perception?
We make decisions on what we believe things
to be, we come to (often rather quick) conclusions on the appearance of what we
see and hear. As a result, we are exploited by brands and marketing.
As the world is changing, global economy is
growing so fast, cultures integrating together, it is important not to live in
a world of perceptions about other nations, cultures, religions and economies.
Advertisements, marketing, branding are
some of those who play with the perception, exploit our values on family,
nationality, culture, honesty and taking sides to position products and
services. Even simple things like colour
schemes influence our perception of what we buy.
Here are some (unrelated) statements to
challenge some possible perceptions:
Event
|
Perception
|
Cadburys taken
over by Kraft
|
Part of UK is lost
|
Watched “Slumdog millionaire”
|
Quality of Indian IT Industry is poor too
|
Received poor service from someone in the
super market
|
The entire chain of Super market is bad
|
Steven Covey says “____________”
|
Steven Covey is the king, it does not matter what
others say
|
Chicken Tikka Masala – Nice Indian food.
|
Whole of India must be eating this dish.
|
A sport celebrity endorses a product
|
It must be a national favourite
|
A sports celebrity is embroiled in an
extra marital affair
|
It is a disgrace to have someone so bad
to represent our country.
|
So
what?
Be conscious that our ability to make
judgements is blurred by our perceptions of the world.
It is important to have a point of view on
all matters of life. In some respects that is what makes each of us humans
unique. A point of view is position that we take based on some thinking and making
some conclusions consciously, but we should always be open to changing our
point view, as the constraints that drove us to make those decisions also
change rather rapidly.
A number of us suffer from living in the
past or old habits. One must be prepared to live in the ‘now’ as the world is
changing. What is good for one is not for the other. What is good today is not
the same tomorrow. With the integration of web, people, the barriers of
country, money, taxation will bring out a number of perceptions views.
Just before I sign off, let me conclude
that story I started with… After a few site-seeing trips to London cleared the
air on what happens beyond the station drop off point, with my son. Being a train commuter, is hard to travel in a train these days,
I don’t want to be perceived to be working for Railways! That is one perception I shall avoid.
So, is
everything perception?
Isn’t Diamond just a piece of coal that did well under pressure!
If you have any comments/feedback, please
post them on my FB page or email me KSBSairam@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Sairam
UK, 27/03/2008
