the speaking tree - The Slippery Slope Of Subjective Judgment
Anand Vardhan Kanoria
|
When we meet people, how do we decide whether we want to associate with them in the future? What kind of relationship do we want to have with them? How do we decide whether we like or dislike their character? The answer comes naturally .A first impression based on our instinct.Dogs are known to be masters of this art, but we are not. How then do we base the most important decisions in our life on a tentative process? It is possible that our instinct is accurate. But instinct leads to an assumption of certain personality traits in the other. Premature judgments blend into biases, which reinforce our initial appraisal.
Premature judgment is therefore an error. Through this logical analysis of the mind's processes, one could conclude that instinct is irrational.What we need to develop is a dependable intuition, which unlike instinct is based on knowledge, experience and logic. The solution probably lies in the development of an objective, personalised scale for the measurement of character. Personalised in the preceding sentence unfortunately reduces the scale's applicability to oneself only; but with `objective' being the encouragement, i shall continue.
The three broad windows into character are actions, words and, most signif icantly, thoughts. Our actions reflect our personality. We often tailor our behaviour to the exigencies of situations. We also try to fashion images and impressions of and for ourselves.This results in an inaccurate perception. Handshakes and `walks' are examples of frequently customised actions.They are, consequently, useless as mirrors of personality.Clothes, hand movements, pos tures and eye direction could be candid indicators. What we make of our observations depends on what we are looking for strength of eye contact, attire or posture. Moving on to the second criterion, here i find myself in a quandary: A judgment on words depends on the topic selected and how it is introduced. To solve the problem, i never introduce the topic. How we introduce the topic and our personal likes and dislikes reflect on our perception of ourselves. The selection of a dreary topic like the weather spells indistinctiveness and lack of imagination.The highest scoring topic is one related to the reason for the conversation itself.
I realise the reader's anxiety to move on to thought, the third category, since the word comes with so much meaning attached. To gauge thought is an art. It is the essence of this judgment scale of character. There are certain prerequisites for an accurate interpretation of thought.
We must learn, first, to `feel' our thoughts rather than `think' them.Thinking our thoughts might make us construct them consciously. Feeling gives our thoughts a naturalness and spontaneity. In essence, we must let our mind flood with thoughts from without; not construct them within.
Second, we must learn to empathise.Understanding and compassion stand for objective judgment. A feeling encompasses all the emotions generated at that time.Words can mislead but it seems that feelings never quite fail. That is why identifying a feeling is essential. I am not declaring thoughts to be objective. Thoughts are subjective but can be interpreted objectively, and this is possible through the mastery of these two directives.
While applying this technique, i find myself with a residual hope. To meet the perfect person is and shall always remain due. The person i hope to meet is someone who is not `mentally immune' to a stranger's feeling his pain, agony and loss. It is easy for us to care only for people we are close to our loved and known ones.Our heart has yet to look beyond.
Post your comments at speakingtree.in
Premature judgment is therefore an error. Through this logical analysis of the mind's processes, one could conclude that instinct is irrational.What we need to develop is a dependable intuition, which unlike instinct is based on knowledge, experience and logic. The solution probably lies in the development of an objective, personalised scale for the measurement of character. Personalised in the preceding sentence unfortunately reduces the scale's applicability to oneself only; but with `objective' being the encouragement, i shall continue.
The three broad windows into character are actions, words and, most signif icantly, thoughts. Our actions reflect our personality. We often tailor our behaviour to the exigencies of situations. We also try to fashion images and impressions of and for ourselves.This results in an inaccurate perception. Handshakes and `walks' are examples of frequently customised actions.They are, consequently, useless as mirrors of personality.Clothes, hand movements, pos tures and eye direction could be candid indicators. What we make of our observations depends on what we are looking for strength of eye contact, attire or posture. Moving on to the second criterion, here i find myself in a quandary: A judgment on words depends on the topic selected and how it is introduced. To solve the problem, i never introduce the topic. How we introduce the topic and our personal likes and dislikes reflect on our perception of ourselves. The selection of a dreary topic like the weather spells indistinctiveness and lack of imagination.The highest scoring topic is one related to the reason for the conversation itself.
I realise the reader's anxiety to move on to thought, the third category, since the word comes with so much meaning attached. To gauge thought is an art. It is the essence of this judgment scale of character. There are certain prerequisites for an accurate interpretation of thought.
We must learn, first, to `feel' our thoughts rather than `think' them.Thinking our thoughts might make us construct them consciously. Feeling gives our thoughts a naturalness and spontaneity. In essence, we must let our mind flood with thoughts from without; not construct them within.
Second, we must learn to empathise.Understanding and compassion stand for objective judgment. A feeling encompasses all the emotions generated at that time.Words can mislead but it seems that feelings never quite fail. That is why identifying a feeling is essential. I am not declaring thoughts to be objective. Thoughts are subjective but can be interpreted objectively, and this is possible through the mastery of these two directives.
While applying this technique, i find myself with a residual hope. To meet the perfect person is and shall always remain due. The person i hope to meet is someone who is not `mentally immune' to a stranger's feeling his pain, agony and loss. It is easy for us to care only for people we are close to our loved and known ones.Our heart has yet to look beyond.
Post your comments at speakingtree.in
