The first time I encountered the word myth was in the context of
my English class, discussed as a traditional sacred story, a form of
literature, which usually expounds on the acts of gods and goddesses, and which
attempts to explain social practices or other natural phenomenon. The literary
form expands the natural world into something else which is remarkable and
extraordinary; a supernatural thing that goes beyond the mundane.
A few years ago, my friend Chris, a public relations specialist,
introduced me to the concept of “myth-making”, or the power of an individual to
create his own reality. He underscores the power of perception (rather, what is
perceived) as something that will ultimately define a person. He says that
every person has two aspects: the “real” one, and what is perceived. The two
realities blur sometimes, so much so that one cannot delineate what is real
with what is illusory, but he emphasizes that the need to delineate is
unimportant: both define the type of person one is going to be.
This idea reminds me of an aspect of astrology which not a lot
of people are familiar with. There is the zodiac, or the sun sign, which
supposedly defines who a person is. Most of us are familiar with this concept.
Then there is the moon sign, which supposedly defines how a person is perceived.
The two are not usually the same, so a person can be an Aries, but is perceived
as a Sagittarius. According to my reading (which I got online), I am a Cancer
(adaptable, moody, loyal) but is perceived as an Aries (courageous, impulsive,
confident). Those two signs are usually as different as they get.
I don’t know how true those readings are, but I just wanted to
underscore the difference between one’s “real” personality, and what is
perceived. It is rare that the two are the same.
This idea has many real-world applications. In high school
specifically, you are usually defined by how your peers perceive you. If your
peers see you as a “loser”, then you begin to think of your reality as that of
a “loser”, notwithstanding your many wonderful qualities. When you think about
it, it sounds silly, but I personally believe it’s the truth. We are defined in
two ways: by our own choices, and by the context (read: perception) society
imposes on us.
This is probably why we try so hard to gain some control over
how we are perceived. As much as we wish that only we could create the terms
for our own life, we know that that is impossible. We are as much a prisoner of
our current social context as everyone else. We try to make sure that how we
are perceived is the same as how we feel about ourselves, and we try to limit
the incongruence, but we can only do so much. We really do not have that much
of a choice on the matter, except to that part which we can change about
ourselves.
Which is where my friend Chris’ advice comes in, which I think
is one of the best advice I have ever gotten in my life. This isn’t his words,
but I hope to distill through a metaphor what we have discussed and debated and
lived as a life philosophy for years. I hope you find as much wisdom in it as I
did.
We are pebbles, but we must aim to feel and look like mountains. Create your reality by controlling (as much as you can) how you are perceived. At the worst, we will be mistaken for boulders or hills, but those are still significantly larger than the tiny stones people will easily discard or throw away. At some point, you will find that you have become a boulder, or a hill, or a mountain, for real.
