Outdated Perceptions
I recently had a realization inspired by Nikhil, a YouTuber. The idea is that the way people see us is often an outdated version of who we really are. To illustrate, let’s say I’m at version 11 of myself. However, people tend to see me as version 9 because they tie my past history and their experiences with me to their current judgment of who I am. Meanwhile, I’m constantly updating myself every day, and I’m aware of these changes, unlike others who base their perceptions on outdated assumptions.
Sometimes, I find myself getting frustrated with people who don’t recognize who I am now. But I understand why this happens; humans tend to carry old assumptions until we prove them wrong. Breaking these assumptions takes time and consistent proof. One action isn’t enough to change their perception; it requires repetition and constant change. Once they get used to the new version of you, that’s when their perception will change. It can also be influenced by others seeing you differently, thanks to herd mentality and sociology.
This is why I shouldn’t be critical of people who don’t see me for who I am now. They’re operating with knowledge of my old self, not the current version. I’ve sometimes judged people negatively because I thought they weren’t treating me properly, but maybe they’re just unaware of the new version of me.
Applying This Perspective to Others
Flipping the script, let’s consider how we perceive others. It’s the same situation. People change, but I won’t see their new version until some time has passed. The lesson here is to be open, forgive, and not assume the worst in others based on past experiences. It’s easy to find correlations between past and present events, but staying open to change is important.