resolving the crisis of perception is a choice

A little bit of philosophy and how my worldview impacts my photography/creativity. For those that may be bored by this – I apologize in advance.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the crisis of perception in our world. How do we resolve it? Is it a matter of getting others to think and act exactly as we do? Must they follow the same political models as we do? Must they have the same religious values as we do? Of course you probably notice that the focus in these questions is on others. But I wonder if that’s the big mistake. I wonder if we too often look at the world in dualistic terms of “good” and “evil” (often enhanced by the media). I wonder if we should not examine our own perceptions and question them instead; Looking to “see” our world and others differently from what we’ve done in the past. One of my favorite teachings from Jesus of Nazareth, (a cornerstone of his thinking) was

“The Kingdom of Heaven/God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

He repeated this often to the people he interacted with in his life. He often used the words “near you” and it doesn’t get any nearer than when it’s within you. If we know, accept and believe that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us (you and me) how does that change our perceptions of the world we are living in? I know many people who are waiting for Kingdom of Heaven to come and replace the world as we know it. But I don’t believe that will happen. It can’t happen if the kingdom is already here and within you and me. I believe that, because of this, two people can experience the same reality in completely opposite ways. I’m not saying bad things don’t happen – because as we all know “SHIT HAPPENS!”. But our perception and how we react to the crap that happens in our lives will be different. Another wise man – Albert Einstein – said,

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”

I think part of the problem in our world is that people are constantly trying to resolve the problems with the same type of thinking that created those problems in the first place. This leads to regulation, law suits, damages, wars, etc. Let me use a couple of my own images as an example. The image is titled CONCRETE RELATIONS. The photo is detail from a concrete stairway in a parking deck. This first image shows how a lot people see the reality of their world; gritty, grimy, runny and ugly like a wound or sore that needs healed. Their response will most likely be to change the reality by cleaning up the area and slapping a fresh coat of paint on it to make it look “pretty” (i.e. acceptable) again.
CONCRETE RELATIONS – original

Now here’s the same reality the way I see it. I actually see beauty in the exact same reality. I choose to see the beauty. I try to show it to others in a way that will help them appreciate the beauty and look at their world a little differently. I don’t see it as something that must to be changed but something that offers so much potential and has value in itself as it currently is. The slow decay adds wonderful textures and tones to something that would otherwise be bland. That’s life for me.
CONCRETE RELATIONS – final

So my question is this: What if everything just IS and not necessarily good or evil? How do you see your reality? What are your perceptions? Would you like to change your perceptions? You CAN do it. Hell, if I can do it anyone can. Think of how the world would be different, politically, religiously and socially if more people lived with this changed perception. I’ll be curious to read other people’s thoughts on this matter. A cool site to check out is http://www.scienceandnonduality.com
Music today courtesy of Sister Hazel – CHANGE YOUR MIND

and U2 – BEAUTIFUL DAY