Letter: Just a thought ... about perception

To the Editor:

Each person has their own perception regarding how they perceive situations in everyday living.

Two friends who are chatting together while standing on a sidewalk and hear a dog barking from a nearby parked vehicle can have a different perception of the incident. One can perceive the animal as a good watch dog that’s protecting its turf. The other observer can believe the animal is overly aggressive and untrained.

While leaving a movie theater, each moviegoer will have their own perception of what the movie was aiming to relate to its viewers. A scary movie can have too much horror for one person and just a tidbit of horror for another depending on perception.

Waking up and smelling bacon and eggs cooking, a hungry person’s perception is knowing that someone is cooking a breakfast that smells yummy. That same smell can bring about a nauseous feeling to a different person.

Have you ever heard someone say, “That’s your perception”? Harsh words or hurt feelings can come between people who share a different perception. Whenever someone doesn’t laugh at a joke that is being told while the teller is rolling on the floor with laughter, that would be due to each having a different perception of “funny.”

Sensation and perception have different meanings. Sensation receptors detect stimuli. Perception organizes interpretation. Some people say tomato, others say tomatoe, while some say potato and some call it potatoe. What’s your perception?

Linda Alexandra

Wauconda