Brave as long as mettle is unprobed


By Prof Dr Sohail Ansari   Who is then more unjust than he who utters a lie against Allah and (he who) gives the lie to the truth when it comes to him; is there not in hell an abode for the unbelievers? And he who brings the truth and (he who) accepts it as the truth… these are they that guard (against evil). (Surah Zumar 39: 32-33)  
     A perception is more important than reality

·        I am not afraid of anyone and everyone except me knows it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

Is perception more important than reality?

Kendrick VanZant, Fundamental isolation; embedded in a finite spacetime; must make decisions.
In a social context you could say yes.  In a plurality of contemporary human social context, perception is hard askance (with an attitude or look of suspicion or disapproval, doubt) from reality.  Social perceptions are often grossly irrational, but they are acted on.  The witch on the pyre is not really a witch, but ask her whether that reality is more important than the social perception.  The perceptions of others may not be realistic, but they are a part of your practical reality.  You must deal with them.

While we imposed intellectually-based value judgment (
an assessment of something as good or bad in terms of one's standards or priorities) on unrealistic perceptions, we should note that they have a function.  The human emotional system is optimized for survival, not science class.  Reality is populated by imminent, veridical (truthful) threats.  Humans cannot function constantly in the activation state of threat response.  When physiological states supporting brief intense effort are maintained indefinitely they damage the body.  Epigenetic and intrapsychic effects damage mental functioning.  Perceiving reality in full is like being a gymnast.  It takes training, it can be dangerous, not everyone can do it, and even a gymnast does not spend all of life on a tightrope. 

All you have are your perceptions.   You may train yourself to keep your perceptions aligned with the empirical, but they are still the same class of mental object that the wildest crackpot possesses.  Realistic perceptions are special because they correlate with data and statistics, but they are not magic.  They do note convey moral worth.  They are only survival-positive when correctly used.
(unless the environmental information reaching them through the various sense organs offered a perception of space that corresponds to their physical “reality.” Such perception is called veridical perception—the direct perception of stimuli as they exist.)

TRUTH VS PERCEPTION

Truth vs Perception: Which is more important — the truth of reality, or what is perceived to be reality? Looked at at another way, the questions could also be seen as between “absolute truth” and “relative truth” respectively.
I believe perception is, practically speaking, more important than truth.
When we perceive something, it is done with our senses: sight, sound, smell etc,. This input is put through our mind (like a blender, *click* *grrrrr* *ding*). So we come up with a mix of those sensed perceptions, blended with our mind, which gives the final result.
To change a perception, we can add filters to our senses (e.g. spectacles, hearing aid, thick gloves etc,.) that will instantly change reality for the person sensing it. Or, we might change how our mind “blends” the information together, (e.g. reading books on philosophy will change how we perceive the words “Plato” and “Socrates”, from “Great Philosopher” to “clown” if we don’t agree with his philosophies).
However, when we have to deal with truth, it becomes a whole different matter. You can’t really change the truth without making it into a whole new truth altogether.
Take for example an orange. The truth is that an orange is an orange. With perception, if you’re wearing “green glasses”, an orange will appear green. In reality, the orange is not green, but orange [in colour] still. But if you decide to paint the orange green, then the truth is that the orange is green.

Truth vs Perception In Advertising

In advertising, a lot of things are sold not on truth, but on perception. If you’ve ever heard of the brand “Rolex”, you’ll know that it’s priced way higher than other watches. But still people buy it. People don’t buy a “Rolex” simply because it tells time better or more accurately, but because of the perceived quality of it.
People perceive person with a Rolex as a person with success, prestige and class. In truth, it is nothing but a watch that tells time, isn’t it?

Truth vs Perception In Motivation

Perhaps one of the most documented things about perception in the self-help industry is the way self-perceptions (the perception of the self,) tends to be so limiting. One of the most famous stories on self-limiting perceptions is the story of Roger Bannister, the man of the four minute mile.
For years, the belief was that running a mile in four minutes was physically impossible. No one could ever do it, they (the critics) said. But they were wrong. In 1954, Bannister broke that long held belief with a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds — the world was stunned. Now, high-school students break that record for fun (gifted high-school students no doubt).
If you want, you can read about the story, complete with pictures: The Four Minute Mile.

In conclusion: Perception’s probably more important than Truth

In our daily lives, I would say our perception of reality is infinitely more important than reality itself. It isn’t that reality/absolute truth is not important, since reality is what we base our perceptions on. But that perceptions are the ones that can make reality real.
When we don’t believe in something, how can it be real? Until we start believing we can, we can’t.
We perceive the sun as rising from the east and setting in the west.
The reality is sun never rises or sets, it is the earth that moves that gives us a perception of sun rising.
For a kindergarden kid, the sun rising from the east is true. As the intellect matures, the child starts questing its own perception and digs further to know what is real. So perception and reality are the same but at different levels of intellect/ different levels of understanding.
When we question what we perceive from the five senses, the perception falls off and reality sets in
Life is about dissolving the perception as we mature and understanding reality. This is what science does and this is exactly what spirituality does.
Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
John’s perception is Half Full. Mo’s perception is Half Empty.
Let say two people witness an accident 
1. John was standing beside the car which got hit
 
2. Mo was watching from a distance.
John’s description of events will be different than Mo’s because John almost got killed. John’s senses pereceived the reality differently than Mo’s as it is through our senses that we make meaning of the reality.
We all live in our own realities by virute of how we perceive and understand things.
Todd Green, Student of Buddhism, I pay attention as best I can
Well, it’s not a true statement, or at least not a complete statement. It should say “perception is a big part of how we model reality.” Clearly, our perception is greatly limited! The other answers cover relative perception, but I don’t think that’s the whole answer. Sure, everyone sees things from a different perspective, and this can provide apparently conflicting descriptions of reality. But in the end, we model the world we live in based on our perceptions (including historic perceptions), and we interact based on that model. Since we know its a model, it makes sense that we’d want to keep that model updated and as accurate as possible, to help stack the odds in our favor when we deal with it! So maybe “perception is reality” is actually more an admonishment to beware of fixation and clinging to a specific model, and a reminder to continually check your perceptions, with awareness of what may be influencing them.
It also opens up an opportunity to explore different perspectives, increasing the depth of our perceptions, and thus increasing the depth of our experience of reality.
It might also be helpful to explore what it does not mean. This kind of statement is easy to over interpret, lending it meanings that were never intended. People are capable of delusion, after all. So while our perception provides the raw material for our model of reality, we wouldn’t want to make the mistake of thinking that it is always correct! Certainty is the enemy of inquiry!
1.3k Views · View Upvotes
Colin Hankin, A meditator with sixty years experience.
I will attempt to answer your question from a Zen [or Buddhist] perspective.
In the writings about those subjects you will find a constant thread running through them to the effect that the world we see so clearly around us is in fact an illusion.
The view that perception is illusory was an abortive attempt to support the assertion [held by many adherents of those systems] that thinking about anything was a mistake. That is true in meditation but not true in real life, where solving the problems life consistently confronts us with is mandatory.
The statement “perception is reality” quite properly refutes that view. We do, in general, see the world as it really is. [Assuming normal conditions apply for seeing anything.]
If you want to look at my attempt at explaining why meditation works, look up “21st Century Zen” on my website: Introduction
1.5k Views · View Upvotes
Jeff Wright, Life is a Mixed Metaphor
This is a slogan sometimes used in the advertising industry, politics and public relations. It means that appearance and opinion is more influential than objective fact for influencing and communicating with people. 

This is an important principle of communication but can also be used cynically to justify making empty promises and offering appearance rather than substance.
3.3k Views · View Upvotes
Sohail Ahmed, Became philosopher the moment realized that I existed!
Perception is the time-space visualization through our senses. Reality is a very tricky issue. It may be true or it may have different connotation. From that angle, I hesitate to accept the statement as such, at the outset. 

Let me be specific with an example. I see a table made of wood. From a particular distance and seeing with my naked eyes I agree that it is table. As I peep deeper into it, through microscope, my perception changes. Further deeper the whole mess of different molecules and motions of atomic and subatomic particles make my head whirl and I am unable to agree that I am seeing a table, unless I recall that I started the experiment with a table and ensure that no one has fiddled with the object under microscope. 

Having written that, let me appreciate Jeff Wright for a wonderful answer to the question.
1.9k Views
Robert Half, God showed me Hell. Twice. Really. He did.
Consider the current American political quandary. Certain liberal factions are so consumed by the irrational need for a woman to be president that a proven liar and de facto criminal is suspended from prosecution by collaborative federal agencies whose sole goal is to make her president. It is absolutely astounding, but there you have it. Perception of her invulnerability to prosecution of crimes like (a) obstruction of justice, (b) destruction of evidence, (c) bribe attempts, and (d) clear plans for the destruction of the American way of life are stringently ignored or dismissed as important in the least. That is a clear example of the self delusion American voters will subject themselves to in order to achieve a social goal that is more important than the survival of the last hope for a world in continuing social decay.
Ahil Noori, Learning
It means you see everything based on you’r perception.
And that influences our reality of who we are.
But the reality is not defined by our definition of it there is the truth and also you’r truth … People ages before belived the world was flat and you fall down once you reach it’s end point that was their perception of reality but today everyone knows earth’s shape is round
Mostly we belive things how we see them.

Whatever people perceive to be real, is real to them... Whether it is real or not.

 

Nation branding aims to measure, build and manage the reputation of countries (closely related to place branding). ... Some approaches applied, such as an increasing importance on the symbolic value of products, have led countries to emphasise their distinctive characteristics.

Nation branding

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nation branding aims to measure, build and manage the reputation of countries (closely related to place branding). In the book Diplomacy in a Globalizing World: Theories and Practices, the authors define nation branding as “the application of corporate marketing concepts and techniques to countries, in the interests of enhancing their reputation in international relations.”[1] Many nations try to make brands in order to build relationships between different actors that are not restricted to nations. It extends to public and private sectors in a nation and helps with nationalism. States also want to participate in multilateral projects.[2] Some approaches applied, such as an increasing importance on the symbolic value of products, have led countries to emphasise their distinctive characteristics. The branding and image of a nation-state "and the successful transference of this image to its exports - is just as important as what they actually produce and sell."[3]This is also referred to as country-of-origin effect.
Nation branding is a developing field in which scholars continue their search for a unified theoretical framework. Many governments have resource dedicated to nation branding. Their aim is to improve their country's standing, as the image and reputation of a nation can dramatically influence its success in attracting tourism receipts and investment capital, in exports, in attracting a talented and creative workforce, and in its cultural and political influence in the world. Different ways that nation project their nation brand include export, foreign direct investment, and tourism. One example of exporting products is that the country Germany is known for their motor industry because famous car companies like Mercedes, Audi, and BMW are German companies. An example of foreign direct investments that help the nation brand are US companies building maquiladoras and other European countries having factories in different countries.[4]

In practice[edit]

Nation branding appears to be practiced by many countries, including the United States, Canada, France, United Kingdom (where it is officially referred to as public diplomacy), Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and most Western European countries. An early example of this was the Cool Britannia approach of the early days of the New Labour government (following the Britain (TM) pamphlet by Demos's Mark Leonard), though this has since been replaced by a more credible Public Diplomacy Board. There is increasing interest in the concept from poorer states on the grounds that an enhanced image might create more favorable conditions for foreign direct investment, tourism, trade and even political relations with other states. Developing nations such as Tanzania and Colombia are creating smaller nation branding programs aimed at increased overall image and with the case of Colombia, changing international perception. Nation branding is seen as a part of Sweden's public diplomacy, especially with Brand Sweden. Sweden uses two main institutions, called the Utrikesdepartementet and the Swedish Institute, to study their nation branding. They wanted to present a good image through the press and also collect different reports on Sweden’s representations abroad. Different events and campaigns were also made to promote Brand Sweden, one example being the House of Sweden which was an embassy in the US. Another campaign was the Second House of Sweden which used the internet to introduce Sweden’s embassy virtually. Researchers in Sweden also studied the Nation Brand Index (NBI) results to collect data.[5]

In academia[edit]

Nation branding can be approached in academics as a field in social sciences, political sciences, humanities, communication, marketing and international relations. Scholars such as Evan H. Potter at the University of Ottawa have conceptualized nation brands as a form of national soft power. All efforts by government (at any level) to support the nation brand - either directly or indirectly - becomes public diplomacy.
Anti-globalisation proponents often claim that globalisation diminishes and threatens local diversity, but there is evidence that in order to compete against the backdrop of global cultural homogeneity, nations strive to accentuate and promote local distinctiveness as a competitive advantage.[6]

Indexing[edit]

Nation Brands Index[edit]

The concept of measuring global perceptions of countries across several dimensions (culture, governance, people, exports, tourism, investment and immigration) was developed by Simon Anholt. His original survey, the Anholt Nation Brands Index, was launched in 2005 and fielded four times a year. Today it is fielded and published once a year in partnership with GfK, named the Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index. [7][8][9][10][11]

Brand Finance Nation Brands[edit]

Brand Finance produces an annual Brand Finance Nation Brands table, in which 100 brands are ranked according to national brand value. This is based on the royalty relief methodology and takes into account the brand strength of individual countries.

Futurebrand Country Brand Index[edit]

Futurebrand publishes the Country Brand Index every year, which includes an overall ranking of the 75 countries, rankings by dimension, complete perception dashboards for the top five country brands, regional leaders and averages and 'ones to watch' for the future.[12]

Monocle Soft Power Survey[edit]


Monocle magazine released its third annual Soft Power Survey in 2012.[13][14] The latest edition of the survey was launched in 2013 [15]

Comments