Biased? Or Delusional?

I once talked to a person that was convinced that they did not have an accent. To them their speech sounded like what an average person would sound like. I did not doubt that. They most likely did sound like the average person from the area that they lived. They perceived themselves as the baseline. This is true of all of us to a degree. We are the denominator in our own lives.

In my perception we are all biased.  I sit in a room viewing it from the angle that is available to me. You sit across and see a completely different scene. It would be foolish for us to assume that what we see is the panoramic view. This would be like assuming that everyone has an accent but ourselves. Those who do not think they are biased are most likely most biased. 

I feel it is helpful to be aware of this in the midst of so much conflict. We can admit to ourselves that what we experience is perception and not reality. Just as we do not know what is behind us, so we must admit that none of us can own the truth. It appears to me that we all create our own cosmology. We create views that work for us, and advance the position of those we feel sympathetic too. 

It seems pretty clear that people adapt their spirituality to fit their bias. They may not do or say things that fit the founder of their religion, but they have adapted their faith to their perception of the world. The cosmology I live by is well studied. Several major foundational teachers have said “You too can do as I have done.” Statements such as this have been attributed to Jesus and The Buddha. Sufism is quoted as expressing” God is closer than your jugular vein. “

This gives me a sense of .gravitas.  It feels heavy, like a great responsibility.  I know I can never give up on kindness because these great teachers indicate that our personal relationship to these states matter. I learn from teachers from all over the world, from Toltec Indians to African wise men and women to Christian mystics and Taoist and Buddhist sages. I am committed to my path. I know I am biased. I certainly can accept I may be delusional. But I know I will leave this life shining compassion into this world. How about you?