What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?
Some say experience changes perspective; but perspective is not necessarily reality, nor is personal experience universally accepted. Yet the saying that “perception is reality” travels far—but how much truth does it actually hold?
Many years ago, my organisation conducted two surveys on customer service: a public opinion survey and a customer satisfaction survey. The former measured perception; the latter measured the respondents’ actual experience. The findings indicated that perception was largely different from experience, and far more influential in shaping the organisation’s image.
So if the prompt asks for a book or film that changed my view, my honest answer is: none. But that does not mean I am unchanged—rather, the agents of change have been different. I may see someone differently through interacting or dealing with them. Human nature, I believe, is not guided by the world, but by the very heart of mankind. As the saying goes, “As distance tests a horse’s strength, so time reveals a person’s heart.”
As I gather my thoughts on how experience can shape perspective, I recognise that personal experience is powerful in shaping our opinions about others. Yet experience is not perception—it is a lived testimony, the actual reality you have shared with others. That encounter might be unpleasant, but experience itself is neither good nor bad—it is merely valid or invalid in building your own life.
I have also observed that if people are kind to me, I learn from their kindness; if they are unkind, I learn from their mistakes. Over half a century of life, I have met both kinds of people. My experience has turned what was theological into something concrete—the nature of worldly people—and strengthened my resolve not to conform to the world (1 John 5:19; Romans 12:2).
Ultimately, the answer to today’s prompt lies not in art or data, but in a foundation that predates both.
I hope this sharing enlightens you, and may my poem shed light on how you see the world.
—
✨Love the False, Shun the True✨
Living in this era,
Lies are beautiful.
The more lies are told,
The false becomes real.
People believe in lies,
But do not love the truth.
Fallacy seeks to reign;
Truth is twisted askew.
Wisdom turns to nonsense;
Folly gains the stage.
Truth is often cruel;
The true path must be lonely.
What others discard,
I will not abandon.
Courage empowers me;
Through practice,
I gain mastery—
To distinguish good from bad,
To choose the true or the false.
The one who discerns is wise. ✨
—
en yan hua fang 