PERCEPTION: Things not always as they appear

A recent incident gave light to the old saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

I ordered a book titled “Jung on Synchronicity and the Paranormal.” When it arrived, I found myself taken aback a bit. Although the cover matched my expectations, the interior writing was a study of recent foreign policy positions by various U.S. administrations.

I had not experienced this before and it gave me a chance to reflect on other instances in life where my initial perception of a person, place or thing did not match the reality I came to know. The experience of such events has helped me become more open to the nuances of the world around me. This has made my life’s journey more varied and rewarding. Yet I can feel empathy toward the discomfort of those who seem unable to fathom that appearance is only a portion of reality.

The ancient Greeks opined that man is composed of mind, body and spirit. The body can be quite apparent, while the mind and spirit prove more elusive to our senses. To say that appearance largely reflects the person that stands before us may be true in many cases, but there always seems to be more than meets the eye. It is a blessing that not all flowers are yellow, that they exhibit all of the colors of creation and that the rainbow shines in the sky.

ERNEST WARNER

Coeur d’Alene