What We See

We see what we look for:

Look for blue cars... Now how many green cars did you see?

Probably none, right?

We see what we look for.

We interpret what we see by what we were looking for:

Scenerio 1:  

You are the "new kid".
In your mind, "Only mean kids don't have friends."

You see a kid sitting by herself.
You think, "She's alone; people must dislike her becaue she is mean... or something."

<Reality:  The kid by herself is shy and does not like to approach people. People assume she is not worth making friends with. You made a grave mistake in your thinking.>

Scenario 2:

You are the "new kid". Your old classmates decided you did not fit in, so you come from a place without friends.

You see a kid sitting alone.
You think, "Hmmm... I wonder if you are like me."

[approaches the kid]

The kid welcomes your company. You become friends. People see you together and wonder things about both of you. They are ignorant. They should get their heads out of pop culture.

<Reality:  You have greatly improved someone's life because you gave them the chance to be themselves. They are now forever there for you. You are forever there for them.>

We fear the unkown.

Where the road forks, we choose the path most predictable.

When we try to leave, we return to famiarity when trouble becomes too much.

When we encounter strange concepts, we struggle to wrap our heads around it. They get rejected, or abandoned all together.

We fear the unkown.