PERCEPTION

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the ways we perceive the world and all use this understanding as a guide to communication with others”

Manisha returned from college, went to her room and closed her door. When she didn’t come out for lunch, saying that she was not feeling well, her grandmother went to her room.

Manisha was lying on the bed, pretending to be asleep. But nothing escapes a mother’s eye. She went to her bed and said, “I know you are not sleeping, so quit acting. What’s wrong?”

At first Manisha thought she would lie but she did want to talk to someone, and talking to her grandmother would be like talking to herself only. She trusted her granny and had told her about every problem she faced. She was an expert at finding solutions. She must have a solution to this.

Manisha lifted her head and said, “How did you know I wasn’t sleeping?”

Granny smiled and said, “Experience sweetheart. I have seen this many times. Now tell me what happened”

“You know my classmate Rupa?” Manisha said.

Granny nodded and she continued, “I think she is the reason that I didn’t get a chance to participate in the national essay competition going on in our college.”

“And why do you think that to be true?” granny asked.

“Because I saw her talking to the teacher who is managing the events and she was pointing in my direction. Another thing is that, I think she is getting back at me for defeating her at the competition held earlier t college”

“Hmm… so that’s it?”

“Grandma! Its not small thing!”

“But dear, you are only making assumption. It might turn out false”

“I don’t think so… besides I heard preeti also saying the same thing”

“Now, first I think you should eat the lunch I brought you. And while you eat, I will tell you a story”

“Please… neither I want lunch nor story… I want to stay alone”

“I wont listen anything… eat your lunch… or else I will call your mother and tell her that you haven’t had lunch”

“Your ultimate weapon!!! No doubt my mother is your daughter… she also threatens saying that she will tell papa”

While she was having food, she said, “Now tell me the story”

“But you said you didn’t want to hear it”

“Please! Don makes me beg now”

“Ok… here it goes. Once there were four people traveling towards a city. They were not traveling together, but met each other up on the way.”

“One of them was a priest, another owned a cafeteria at his town, another man owned a cloth store and the last man was a butcher. Now among these the butcher was an atheist”

“After traveling a while, they decided to have lunch and then sat under a tree. While they were eating, a parrot came and sat on a branch just above them and started speaking something.”

“On hearing it, the cafeteria owner said, ‘see, the parrot is saying it wants some water’

The priest said,’ no, it’s saying save me Jesus”

On hearing this, the atheist said, “You all can’t hear, its saying, there is no Jesus”

The man who owned the cloth store said, “No… it said silk is precious”

Then they all started quarreling, and the parrot flew away… story over” granny said.

“What kind of story was that? “ Manisha asked.

“It was a good story… tell me what you want to know about it?”

“You didn’t tell me what the parrot was actually saying”

“Only the parrot knows what it was saying”

“What!!! So why were all those people saying they heard?”

“That is what you should understand… we see things as we want to see them. The people actually heard what they wanted to hear, the poor bird wasn’t saying anything to them. It was saying and singing in its own language. The only difference is in our perception”

“Just because you think your classmate is the reason you didn’t get selected doesn’t mean its true… you think it is true because you want to see it that way. Did you ask your teacher as why he didn’t select you? Granny asked

“No” Manisha replied.

“Then I suggest you talk to him and stop moping around”