Differences, we hear this word a lot of times. We see that difference are there, differences in perceptions, differences in assumptions, differences in opinions, differences in thoughts, differences in life styles !!

Now the questions which arise are,

What are the disadvantages of differences?

Why do these differences occur?

What are the advantages of Differences?

What I feel is, if I have the clear understanding of why differences occur, appreciate them, adapt them and live according to it, then my learning speed may be highly increased. If I learn more then I can solve existing problems more and in better way, I can be more responsible citizen !!

Lets follow the top down approach and first discuss, what are the disadvantages of Differences?

Due to differences, contradictions occur, due to contradictions altercations happen, and ultimatly it leads to violence. People want to kill the difference with violence. Violence may be Active or Passive, but it happens, and due to violence peace is lost. Due to Differences arguments happen, in an argument everybody wants to prove “I am right”, and this kind of competition leads to altercations, which ultimately leads to violence.

People find Differences in their religions, their casts, their lifestyles, and are trying to prove their possessions better than others, and others are wrong. This kind of competition due to differences leads to violence.

It is the Difference which leads to world wars, it is the Difference which leads to altercations and violence between the countries, it is the Difference which leads to altercations and violence between states within the countries, it is the difference which lead to altercations and violence with the society, it is the difference which leads to altercations and violence within the family, it is the Difference which leads to altercation and violence in our own thoughts, and all this ultimately leads to loss of peace, disharmony, and unhappiness.

Now the question which arises is, why these Differences occur?

Now we know that Differences are there, so lets analyze what are the reasons behind them?

What I feel is Differences are there due to Different Opinions ..

Now question which arises is, why do we have Different Opinions?

What I feel is Differences in Opinions are there due to Different thoughts ..

Now the question is, why do we have Different thoughts?

What I feel is Differences in thoughts are there due to Different Assumptions ..

Now the question is, why do we have Different Assumptions?

What I feel is Differences in Assumptions are there due to Different Perceptions ..

Now the question which arises is, why the heck do we have different perceptions?

Yeah, here the chain breaks, “why do we have different perceptions?”. I have been analyzing this topic since a long time and I came up with few reasons which I feel could be responsible for Differences in Perceptions. Following are those reasons:-

1. Due to our own Physical Limitations.

2. Due to Past Education.

3. Due to Past Envionment.

4. Due to Past Experiences.

5. Due to Past Conditioning.

The same thing is shown in the following diagram.

In the above diagram, “Reality” is the absolute reality associated with the “Object”.

Past Conditioning is actually the super set of, Past Education, Past Experiences, Past Environment. It might include some more factors.

Actually Opinion and thought keep on reinforcing each other and ultimately we settle down to a more contcrete opinion.

Now lets analyze how above specified points are responsible for Different Perceptions !!

Physical Limitations

Physical Limitations play an important role in forming different perceptions. Here first we should realize that we have only 5 senses, and they also have limited capabilities. Suppose I have a ball, which is black from one side and white from the other. Two persons person1 and person2 see the ball from different sides and consider the balls to be different, as shown in figure.

Two persons person1 and person2 see the ball from different sides and find the ball to be different. Lets assume that the smell of the ball, touch feeling of the ball, sound which the ball produces and taste of the ball are same, so the only difference which the two different people perceive is the color. If person1 and person2 are seeing the ball for the first time, then person1 will assume that the ball is black and person2 will assume that ball is white.

Now this is how difference arises. Two people due to their physical limitations are not able to see the other side of the ball, so perceived them differently, formed different assumptions about the ball, which lead to different opinions and thoughts. These different thoughts lead to contradictions. They can see the other side of the ball too, if they are ready to change their positions.

Problem arises when they are not ready to change their positions !!

If both the persons are ready to change their positions then they might be able to see the absolute reality of the ball, which might vanish the contradiction between them. This unwillingness to change the position, is similar to unwillingness to learn, unwillingness to improve. This happens when people themselves do not know that their knowledge is incomplete. They assume that they already posses the Truth !!

Truth!! is continuously changing, and if I hold onto what I said earlier then it would be wrong. My perception and understanding of Truth, must be on the basis of what Truth appears to me today.

– Mohandas K. Gandhi

When we have the Rigidity and Ego, learning ceases. When we assume that we already posses the Truth, learning ceases. When we become closed minded, learning ceases. When learning ceases, and when we don’t want to change our positions then we just keep on fighting on the color of the ball, and we try to kill the difference with violence, which ultimately leads to loss of peace and unhappiness.

So the problem which arises here is, both the persons are seeing the partial Truth, and are not willing to change their positions, or we can say that they are unwilling to learn more, due to which they have got different thoughts and contradiction is occurring, which might ultimately become the reason for unhappiness.

The problem which arises in such cases we assume that the world is limited to the places till we can see or we have seen, sounds are limited to the variety I have heard, tastes are limited to the variety I have tasted, smell are limited to the variety I have smelt, feelings are limited to the variety I have felt. Once we realize that the world is not limited till the star we can see, but the universe is infinite then we become more open minded. Once we realize that there are infinite many things which we still don’t know and our knowledge is limited, then we become more open minded.

When the doors of perception are clear then everything appears as it is, INFINITE !!

Past Experiences, Past Environment, Past Education, and Past Preconditioning contribute a lot in forming different perceptions.

Suppose I have seen an Egg from one side of it say from the broader side only and I am told that this is Egg, then I will assume that, OK Egg is spherical and is white in color. Suppose next time I am shown Egg for the second time in my life and from the other side, and I am told that this is Egg, then I see some elliptical kind of shape, then this new image of Egg will contradict from my previous image of Egg in my mind. For the first time I will refuse to accept this new object as Egg, because I am preconditioned that Egg is spherical and white in color. But since I am told that this is also an Egg, then I will modify my previous image of Egg in my mind to the newer and better one. This is how we learn and improve our perception. Problem arises when we refuse to accept the newer image of Egg as Egg.

Our past preconditioning contributes a lot in developing our basic assumptions. They are generally assumptions of others which they have made in their lives due to their own perceptions or even they got those assumptions from others in their environment. In our childhood we don’t know anything except the things which are natural to us, which we can call our “natural acceptance”. In that stage whatever training we are given we just accept without analyzing. We make assumptions on the basis of what our parents, our environment say. If I am born in a Hindu family then I will assume myself Hindu, if I am born in a Muslim family then I call myself Muslim and so on.

It really feel sorry for those people who fight on the name of religion. People of different religion are fighting on the name of their religion and trying to kill the contradiction which they have assumed that it is there, through violence. On the other hand if we refer to the Kuran, Bhagwat Geeta or Bible, then we come to know that they are not saying the different things. Problem is people who are fighting on the name of religion, they themselves have never referred to their scriptures they are just being driven by the wrong interpretations of their ancestors, and they have assumed that differences are there. Problem is they want to kill the difference through violence. They do not want to increase their knowledge. They are not even aware of, that the knowledge which they have may be wrong, or incomplete.

The kind of values we get from our parents, environment and experiences become the basis of our education. Teach a child that “winning is everything”, and he will try to win by hook and crook, Teach a child that “success has no meaning if it is going to give you unhappiness”, he will make sure that he is not making himself as well as others unhappy on the way of his success and will automatically have good relations with people. It all depends on preconditioning. A child is like a robot with no training, his environment and education can train him however they like. By the time a child grows he is so much preconditioned that even if he tries to analyze he couldn’t find the exact reasons that what he is doing is out of preconditioning or he really wants to do that !!

Really, its really very difficult to stop and think in which direction you are moving when you already have a very heavy momentum.

– By Me

Our preconditioning and the values which we get from our parents and environment contribute a lot in our education. These days what I have found is, the base of education has become money and recognition without any direction. What I feel is, With direction ed, purposeful and values based education, money and recognition come automatically, as by-products. Problem arises when money and recognition become the primary aim.

In our current education system we are just being taught how to earn a living, but not, how to live !!

In my opinion there are two kinds of educations, first which teaches how to earn a living and second which teaches how to live. In my opinion a person who has had only first kind of education is a menace to the society. What I feel is, a person who is technically poor and morally bankrupt does small thefts, but a person who is technically sound and morally bankrupt does a bank robbery.

Values give a person a base of what is going to give him Happiness in the end and what is not !! and ya it is true that Happiness, prosperity and continuity of them is what we want to achieve in our lives. If the main aim i.e. Happiness is not being achieved in the process of being “successful”, then such kind of “success”, is not worth achieving, or such kind of process for achieving success is not worth following. We want to be successful or to win because we want to be happy. Happiness is our goal, which we want to achieve by achieving the “success”, “success” in whatever way we define it if it is not not going to give us Happiness in long term then that kind of success is not worth achieving or that battle is not worth winning or even fighting. Now the problem which arises here is the long term vision, sometimes we don’t realize that the way we want to achieve “success” is not going to give us happiness in long term. Here the importance of values come into picture. Values teaches us what can give us happiness and what can not. How can we achieve happiness and how we can not. What should we do to achieve happiness and what we should not.

One question which arises here is,

What makes a man unhappy, lack of physical facilities or lack of relationships?

Answer of this single question alone solves a lot of problems. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam shows the importance of purposeful education in the following stanza ..

When learning is purposeful,

Creativity blossoms,

When creativity blossoms,

Thinking emanates,

When thinking emanates,

Knowledge is fully lit,

When knowledge is lit,

Economy flourishes.

– A.P.J Abdul Kalam

In my opinion in the primary education, self-observation as well as observation outside based education should be included, in which children try to learn from observation, understand the limitations as well as beauty of their senses, understand existing relationships between various entities in nature, that will evolve their creativity and understanding towards themselves as well as the objects outside.

The main reasons for Differences which I could identify are, Incomplete or wrong knowledge, rigidity and ego. Incomplete or wrong knowledge is responsible for creating the Differences between people. Rigidity and Ego motivates them to kill that Difference through violence.

Rigidity and Ego are hurdles in learning !!

Rigidity and Ego make people reluctant to learn. These people assume that the knowledge which they have is already complete. They feel that they already posses the Truth. These kind of people are closed minded and do not learn anything new, are not receptive to new ideas and do not change.

On the other hand if we talk about the advantages of differences, then they are also many. But differences may be advantageous only when we are open minded, we are receptive of different ideas, we are a good listener, we know that there are infinite many things which we still don’t know. If we have an open mind then we can learn from every moment. As we have seen above that due to our physical limitations we can not perceive the absolute reality associated with an object unless or until we are ready to change our positions, and if it is not being possible to change the position, then we can learn from others who have seen the other part of the object which we couldn’t perceive or those who have different opinions than us about the same object. Here we can not be sure that the reality which is perceived by the other person will be correct, but we can at least find out the position from where the other person perceived the reality, and if we are ready to change our position and look at the object from the point from where other person looked at it then we might realize that we did not observe the complete reality. The previous version of reality was the partial reality. Now the currently perceived reality should be the new reality to us. This is how our perception improves. If we keep on changing our positions then one day might come when we might be knowing the absolute reality associated with the object !!

In the complete process the most important thing is, changing the positions !! By changing the positions I mean we should be receptive to the ideas, we should have an open mind, we should realize that this world is infinite and is not limited to the places till I can see, or I have seen. There are infinite many things in this world which we still don’t know.

As we have already analyzed that the main reason for Differences is Incomplete Knowledge. Knowledge obeys First Law of Motion given by Newton.

Law of Knowledge: Our knowledge will be the same unless or untill some unbalanced force is not applied on it. In case of knowledge this unbalanced force is a Difference. So this is how Differences contribute in our learning. If there are no Differences or if there is nobody to contradict me or there is no counter argument which I could figure out in nature then my knowledge will remain same. It will not increase. But the major thing here is no external forces can ever work on me, no counter arguments can ever work on me, if I am not willing to learn !!

The only way to kill the Difference is Knowledge.