In the book Sophie's World, the protagonist wears a pair of rose-tinted glasses through which she sees the world for a short time. When she wears these glasses, her perspective changes subtly. How she sees the world is different. The book uses this device to explore the concept of perception vs. reality.
Does perception influence reality or is reality an immutable concept? This seems to be a strange question to ask. How does my perception of anything change that thing?
This however leads us to another question... Does perception imbue the perceived with anything?
It can be argued that without being perceived, something cannot exist. At least in a physical sense. If I cannot sense or measure something, how do I know it exists? It is an argument applied for and against the existence of a higher power. If I don't know it exists, does it exist? Or how can you refute it's existence if it is something you cannot perceive (ergo, it's existence is irrefutable using empirical methods or sensory perceptions)?
So, what does perception bring? When we perceive an aspect of something are we seeing something that objectively exists in what is being observed, or is all perception marred by subjectivity? If I note that snow is white, does that mean that the colour of the snow is a truly ingrained characteristic of snow or does that mean that my perception of snow includes my perception of the colour of the snow?
It really makes one think about the reality of matter itself. If seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses affects my perceptions of the world, but does not affect the characteristics of the objects being perceived, then how many layers of glasses do we wear on a daily basis? How many layers of false perception separate us from the truth inherent in everything?
The key question here though is, what is that truth? What lies within any object at its core essence when we strip away all of our false perceptions? Is that true essence the same within all things or does it differ?
When we perceive anything, we make it ours. That which is imperceptible lies beyond our ability to control. I feel our ability to perceive something limits it. Perhaps that is why God is often times called He who is seen and unseen.
I guess the trick lies in opening our eyes.
