Filters
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009
by Dianne Lehmann
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Are your filters up and running? Do you know what they are? Can you name them? I'm not talking about your kidneys or your blood/brain barrier or that gizmo you put under your kitchen sink to keep your water tasting nice.
Mine are up and running very well, thank you, as I had pointed out to me recently by an author (I'll use the initials TM, I think you know who you are) on SearchWarp. I'm talking about the filters through which we experience the world around us. You can't feel these filters. You can't examine them under a microscope, but they are there all the same. Mostly, we are completely unaware of them until some kind soul comes along to let us know that we've just exposed one of them for viewing. Even then we may not see it. After all, they are looking through their filters and we are looking through ours. Ever found yourself saying something like, "What the heck is he/she saying? I'm not like that at all."
These filters have names: bias, assumption, prejudice, tendency, morality, racism, belief, etc. The things that you just know are true about you, about how the world works, about what others are thinking.
I find these are all impediments to straight thinking. You know how they will put a gauzy filter over the camera's lens when photographing an aging actor whose vanity has gotten the better of him/her. You can not see them clearly, which is what the actor wants. Your filters keep you from seeing the world and all things in it clearly in just the same way.
Some of these filters can have a positive value; for example, the kind that let you continue in the face of adversity. When those around you tell you that you can not accomplish something and your belief filter flips into place and tells you that you can; that can be a good use of your filters. However, when you encounter someone who is of a different racial background from you and your racism filter falls unnoticed in front of your eyes can be a bad thing. If you have a filter that says anyone who is not like you is bad and you should not trust them, you might miss out on getting to know someone amazing. If your filter says that everyone loves you and would never hurt you, well you get the point. Or at least I hope so because I'm belaboring it.
For the most part, I think that these filters are bad. So there you go, I've just exposed one of my personal filters that says that anything that keeps me from seeing the world as it is, is inherently bad. And that is quite possibly a good use of my filters. So thank you TM for making me take a harder look at my biases, prejudices, assumptions and all the rest. Hopefully it will make me a better person. Oh, and thanks too for the article idea. I was at a loss. You made my day.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Hi Dianne.I understand these filters. I heard them described as sunglasses, but filters may be better.This is somethng we all need to monitor and correct.Nice job here.Hi Ken.I guess you're referring to the proverbial "rose colored glasses." And I did think about alluding to them in my article, but I tend to be way to wordy and this one seemed like I could wrap it up without going overboard. Unlike this comment. :)Thanks so much for reading and commenting.Dianne
Great article! We humans do usually see the world through a whole load of irrational filters - bias, prejudice etc - and it often requires a conscious effort to acknowledge these and look at something filter-free. But it is an effort it is well worth making!Hi Ben.My sentiments exactly! It's good to have friends who will point it out to you. Trouble is that we don't always want to acknowledge it.Thanks for reading and commenting.Dianne
Like you say 'filters' can be good and bad. Sometimes we see something or someone for who they really are and don't want to believe it, so we push the 'filter' aside and continue to believe what we want to. Too bad filters weren't 'foolproof'. Very interesting article Dianne.Hi Brianna.I'm glad that you found it interesting. Thanks for reading and commenting.Dianne
hi dianne,great article. i feel like i've been through so many filters throughout my life, i must look like a kaleidoscope. sometimes, they have overwhelmed me, sometimes they have comforted me, but either way, they are always there.thanks for sharing,my best to you,sueHi Sue.I guess that's the thing about them ... they are always there. The struggle is to be aware of them as Ben said.Thanks for reading and commenting. I know that I just about always add this to my response, but I really do mean it. It's not just automatic.Hugs,Dianne
Diane, thanks for the thought provoking and self examining story.In my working days we talked of something similar called "Perception Screens" strangely, often more powerful than fact. What with 6 billion people with no duplicates snuggled up on this little blue marble with different life experiences, cellular makeup (and cell phones), hormone levels, abilities, stations in life, ad infinitum we're going to perceive things differently. Key, as you suggest, is recognizing filters/screens exist and indulge oneself in persistent self analysis. That said, I do believe, a universal anomaly does also exist, most everyone can define a "good" person.Best to you. I enjoy your writing.Hi John.That's a really good point you made at the end of your comment. I feel another article coming on. :) Or maybe you've done that one already. I'll have to check it out.Thank you so much for reading and commenting.My best to you also,Dianne
Hi Dianne.Thanks for this great article, well-written to boot.
Recently, I had to call a Support Tech because I was experiencing technical difficulty with my laptop and my phone line. The tech asked me, "Do you have a filter?" I said, "I am sorry, I don't understand?" "The filter stops the "static sound" in your phone so you can hear clearer.", he said. Your "Filters" made so much sense to me because in life we need good filters, if used positively, we can understand and see the world and ourselves a little clearer.Thanks for sharing.Best regards,NenitaHi Nenita.I'm normally an optimistic person, but unfortunately, I think that most filters to not help us and only hinder us. You are right, what we really need is good filters. I'll have a look around and see what I can come up with.Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.Dianne
Insightful and creative truth-telling. Thanks Diane, we can always use a good reminder such as yours.Hi Edward.Thank you. And thanks for reading and commenting.Dianne
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