Reality Bites

There is an old adage that declares,"perception is reality." The gist of the message relays the sentiment that what you see is what you get. I am not a big fan of this philosophy because it eliminates the context surrounding a situation. Over the years, I've learned when dealing with people there is much more to a person than what befalls my eyes. And while it might be human nature to judge by appearances, understanding the entirety of a person's story allows us to see that reality is just part of a journey.

We see an old man napping in a chair at the public library. His eyes are closed and his breathing is even and measured. His hands are folded on his lap. We deduce he is simply wasting time until the library closes and he is force to leave the sanctuary provided to him by taxpayer money. The reality is that he has been up since the early morning hours, waiting for a computer to become available so he can work on his résumé. After 3 hours, a spot opened up and he meticulously tidied up the final few lines of a paper that will hopefully allow him reentry into the job market.

We see an thirty-something woman on the bus with two unruly kids making life miserable for everyone else. She blankly stares forward while the children tug at each other and disrupt the silence that usually accompanies the ride. It is apparent the vacant manner of her detached reality is due to a drug habit she refuses to address. The reality is that her husband died two weeks ago and her world has been thrown into a nightmarish existence of grief, shock, and weighted responsibility. The bus ride allows her to save money on gas that she now must contribute toward day care so she can work a second job.

We see a person holding a sign. The tattered cardboard declares he his hungry and homeless and would be happy to work for a meal. His shadow casts a long silhouette as the sun melts behind the storefronts and change rattles around in his tin can with each pitied deposit. The reality is that he served 2 tours and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Assimilating back into civilian life has been chaotic and debilitating. He worked long hours at a mill but was unable to receive the treatment he needed so his employment was terminated.

Perception is not reality.