Everyone’s Reality Is Different, and Here’s Why That’s Important
The Golden Rule needs a rewrite.
What Is Reality?
It’s one of the great philosophical debates.
Is it fixed, or is it determined primarily by our own perception?
Think back to an argument you had with someone where your interpretation of events was different from theirs. Perhaps one of you read a tone of voice as angry, and the other heard one of concern. Or, one remembered some details and forgot others in a common episode of selective recall.
When two people can’t agree on what really happened, it makes for some interesting and lengthy conflicts — or courtroom dramas.
To a great extent, one’s personal reality is malleable, and marketers have been using this knowledge for decades. An example of this is putting a price next to a much larger one, so it seems like a bargain when in fact, it’s a whopping 150% over cost! The “marked down” price of $199 looks good next to the “retail” price of $319.
Time is another example. How often has the time gone by fast or slow depending on the activity, or you argued with someone over how long a project should take?
While one could argue that there is one central Reality, our own perception greatly shapes how we…
