Perception VS Reality!!!

Perception for many is REALITY. To perceive something to be such, ultimately we assume that alone defines that person, place or thing. The desire to be perceived a certain way (ego and pride) is a limitation that stops so many people from maximizing their full potential.

The moment when what others think does not matter is a moment of great clarity. The goal of human growth is not by the measure of the steps taken but in the journey alone. To journey down a real righteous path, one must journey alone.

Connection with family won’t help, nor will their assistance make the journey easier. Popularity amongst friends is nowhere near enough to bring peace to the long and winding journey. The only way to truly make the journey a success is to look deep within self and be happy with self.

Take for instance Keyser Söze. Keyser Söze is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects. According to petty con artist Roger "Verbal" Kint , Söze is a crime lord whose ruthlessness and influence have acquired a legendary, even mythical, status among police and criminals alike. Further events in the story make these accounts unreliable, and, in a twist ending, a police sketch identifies Kint and Söze as one and the same.

The point I am making is that Kint had no desire what so every to be seen as the man. Perception was not a concern. Many want to be seen as in control, holding all the cards, having all the power and being the apex predator. What I love about Kint who is really Söze is the way he moved in the shadows being completely unseen. Söze's ruthlessness is legendary; Kint describes him as having had enemies and disloyal henchmen brutally murdered, along with everyone they held dear, for the slightest infractions. Over the years, his criminal empire flourishes, as does his legend; remarking on Söze's mythical nature, Kint says, "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist”.

In the final sequence, it is revealed that the story that Kint had told Kujan is a fabrication, made up of strung-together details culled from a crowded bulletin board in a messy office. The surviving Hungarian, Arkash Kovash, describes Söze to a sketch artist: the drawing faxed in to the police resembles none other than Verbal Kint. Kujan realizes the fabrication and pursues Kint, who has already been released, his limp gone. Kujan misses Kint by moments as the latter gets into a car.

I love the element Kint adds by making himself completely non assuming with the way he talks, the way he dresses and the limp as to say I am completely helpless. Think of how many people you know that spend their whole life trying to convince the world just the opposite. They want the perception of them to be large. They assume that the way people look at them and what they think of them holds real value. So many walk around daily with an imaginary chip on their shoulder as if the world owe them something or that they really have what it takes to get deep down in the mud, get extremely dirty and fight extremely hard for what it truly takes to be successful.

I close on this note. When you are on your journey, it is yours to enjoy and no one can change that but be more cognizant of the people around you. Some cast a shadow bigger than life and won’t even show it until it’s too late.