If we give in to our own perceptions rather than following the Spirit of God, we can easily draw incorrect conclusions. One of the most obvious features of perception is that it involved seeing something as something, some sort of discrimination or recognition. By sense we commonly understand the judgment we make of objects by their phantasms; namely, by comparing and distinguishing those phantasms; which we could never do, if that motion in the organ, by which the phantasm is made, did not remain there for some time and make the same phantasm return. For seeing the nature of sense consists in motion; as long as the organs are employed about one object, they cannot be so moved by another at the same time, as to make by both their motions one sincere phantasm of each of them as once. When a strong motion impinges on the sense organ, the sense organ, the motion from the root of the sense organ’s nerves to the heart persists contumaciously and makes the sense organ stupid to the registration of other motion. Imagination is explicitly a deduction from the law of inertia. When a body is once in motion, it moves, unless something else hinder it, eternally so also it happens in that motion, which is made in the internal part of a person when he or she see, dreams, etc. For after the object is removed, or the eye shut, we still retain an image of the thing seen, though more obscure than when we see it. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5

Imagination, therefore, is nothing but the decaying sense. This decay is not a decay in motion, rather it would be contrary to the law of inertia. Rather, it comes about because the sense organs are moved by other objects, and subsequent movements obscure previous ones in such manner as the light of the Sun obscures the light of the stars. Memory differs from imagination only in that fading image is accompanied by a feeling of familiarity. For one the perceives that one has perceived remembers, and memory supposed the time past. To say that a person imagines a tree rather than perceives it is to say something about the status of what is claimed. To perceive is to see something that is really before one’s eyes; to imagine is to think that one sees something that is not there. Have you ever seen the Sun set? You may think you have. Yet, in reality, we know that the Sun does not set. Instead, our viewing angle changes as the Earth turns, until the Sun is obscured by the horizon. Want to try the alternative? This evening, stand facing west. With practice, you can learn to feel yourself being swept backward on the rotating surface of the Earth as you watch the unmoving Sun recede in the distance. This radical shift in perspective illustrates the limitations of objective observation. Like most experiences, seeing a Sunset is a perceptual reconstruction (mental model) of an external event. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5

Another way of appreciating this perceptual reconstruction is to realize that it takes about 50 milliseconds for a visual signal to move from the retina to the brain. Therefore, the images we see are always slightly in the past. An event that happens quickly, like the pop of a flashbulb, may be over by the time we experience it. As we have seen, perception reflects the needs, expectations, attitudes, values, and beliefs of the perceiver. In this light, the phrase “seeing is believing” must be modified. Clearly, we see what we believe, as well as believe what we see. In some cases, subjective perception nurtures the personal vision in art, music, poetry, and scientific innovation. Other, however, it is a real liability. Similarly, to remember is to be right in a claim one makes about something in the past that one was in a position to witness, whereas to imagine is to be mistaken in what one claims. The scriptures warn us of this. They say that if we give in to our own perceptions rather than following the Spirit, we can easily raw incorrect conclusions. “Every person walks in one’s own way, and after the image of one’s own god, whose image is in the likeness of the World,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 1.16. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5

Do we always know the reasons for our actions? Or is our behaviour sometimes unknowingly and unintentionally influenced by what we have recently perceived? The automatic influence of knowledge in memory is limited to people’s interpretation of the World, and stops short of shaping their actual behaviour. People’s behaviours can be unknowingly influenced by knowledge that is incidentally activated in memory during social perception. Social knowledge is incidentally activated while reading words or imagining events and subsequently affects participants’ behaviours across a range of ostensibly unrelated domains. How one focuses their attention affects one’s perceptions. When one has an idea in one’s mind one tends to look for evidence that supports that idea and not pay attention to evidence that says the idea is not accurate. This is called confirmation bias. If one believes a person likes them, they will ignore that individuals have more than one choice and may not be interested. People tend to pay attention to evidence that supports their beliefs and even try to manipulate perceptions subtly, but because about assuming something that is not there. So one way to changing your perception is to check the evidence. I the way see the situation factual? Find a way to count or otherwise test out your thoughts in a more objective way. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5

Most people do not like uncertainty so they classify people and experiences into categories. People also learn to associate outcomes with cues when they may not be related. Also, people may also be aware that you are trying to manipulate their perceptions, and actually ignore the cues. Many adults tend to focus on things that are tangible and real. There is no reason while two adults cannot directly communicate in an affective manner without leaving anything open to interpretation. Mindfulness can help one be aware of one’s reactions and pause and consider all factors before responding. Tangible evidence is an evidence which can be treated as fact; real or concrete. It is capable of being touched or felt and has a real substance, a tangible object. The liberty of a person consists in that one finds no stop in doing what one has the will, desire, or inclination to do. Liberty is the absence of all the impediments to action that are not contained in the nature and intrinsical quality of the agent. Two people could be looking at the same picture and can see totally different things. However, when looking at life’s big picture, it is important to align your perception with that of Heavenly Fathers. All society, in most cases, are either for gain or glory; that is, not so much for love of our fellows as for love of oneself. Human nature being what it is, there are certain means they must accept if they are to have what they want. It is irrational to want something and yet to refuse to take only means that will ensure what is wanted is obtained. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5