Native American Wisdom
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If you an i were sitting in a circle of people on the prairie,and if i were then to place a painted drum or an eagle feather in the middle of this circle, each of us would
perceive these objects differently.Our vision of them would vary according to our individual positions in the circle,each of which would be unique.
Our personal perceptions of these objects would also depend upon much more than just the different positions from which we looked upon them.For example,one or more of us might suffer from colour blindness,or from weak eyesight.Either
of these two physical differences would influence our perceptions of the objects.
There are levels upon levels of perspectives we must consider when we try to understand our individual perceptions of things,or when we try to relate our own perceptions to those of our brothers an sisters.
Every single one of our previous experiences in life will effect in some way the mental perspective from which we see the world around us.
Because of this, a particular object or event may appear fearful to you at the same time that it gives pleasure to me,or appears completley uninteresting to a third person. All things that we perceive stimulate our individual imaginations in different ways,which in turn causes us to create our own unique interpretations of them.
Love,hate, fear,confusion,happiness,envy,and all the other emotions we feel,act upon us to paint our perceptions of things in different colours.
If the thing I were to place within our circle should be an abstraction,such an idea,a feeling,or a philosophy,our perceptions of it would then be even more complicated than if the object had been a tangible thing.And further,the number of different perceptions of it would become greater an greater as more an more people were added to our circle.
The perception of any object,either tangible or abstract,is ultimatley made a thousand times more complicated whenever it is viewed within the circle of an entire people as a whole.
The understanding of this truth is the first lesson of the medicine wheel,and it is a vital part of Sun Dance Teaching.
From Seven Arrows.
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