The Brain’s Prismatic View of Life
What if the differences among us aren’t the only “truth”?
All around us, we see much diversity: men and women; Democrats and Republicans; black and white; homosexual and heterosexual; Americans and Europeans—the list goes on and on, and of course, also includes everything and everyone in between. While it is undeniable that our perceptions communicate these differences to us, what if there is a “prism” effect that distorts what we actually are?
The Prism Effect
When colorless light moves from air into a glass prism, it breaks up into many different colors. Depending on the angle at which it enters the glass, the precise rainbow of colors may differ. If you were looking at the different colors, that’s all that you would see. Yet, if you looked at the source, you would “see” colorless light. All the colors are already contained in colorless light. Metaphorically, what if our diversity was simply a result of a similar refractory effect?
Why categories limit your power
There are many contexts in which we seek to be united. Usually, we use categories to try to be united by a cause.
