Perception and Cognition; Vision and Understanding

There are a few moments from the lectures of my college days that stand out as "ah ha" moments, when a concept or idea was articulated that resonated deeply. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of these moments have stuck with me ever since, and some have changed the way I view the world. One such moment was a statement made by my religious studies professor in a course titled, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. I can't remember how this topic came up, but I clearly remember the professor saying that "sincerity is the emotional equivalent of truth." I thought it was such a beautiful and simple statement, and also one that struck an answering chord within me, and I'm sure in many of my classmates as well.

Another such moment occurred during a course in social psychology. Though again, the details are a bit foggy, I remember the professor discussing the concepts of perception and cognition. He said that what we perceive affects what think, and what or how we think, in turn affects what we perceive. Put more concisely, our perception affects our cognition, and our cognition affects our perception.

It seems like the topic of the relationship between perception and cognition continues to be a subject of much study, within organizations such as the Yale Perception and Cognition Laboratory, which, according to their website, is "a group of cognitive scientists who are interested in all aspects of perception, cognition, and how they relate to each other."

This topic was brought to mind recently when I was reading the following passage from Baha'u'llah's writings:

We cherish the hope that through the loving-kindness of the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, obscuring dust may be dispelled and the power of perception enhanced, that the people may discover the purpose for which they have been called into being. In this Day whatsoever serveth to reduce blindness and to increase vision is worthy of consideration. This vision acteth as the agent and guide for true knowledge. Indeed in the estimation of men of wisdom keenness of understanding is due to keenness of vision.

The phrase "keenness of understanding is due to keenness of vision" triggered a number of questions for me. Among them were, what is meant by vision? Physical vision? Spiritual vision? Perhaps both and more? On some level, it seemed to me like the vision referred to might relate to the ability to perceive things accurately, or to view reality with a just eye. Another question that arose is how are we able to develop keen vision? And what are the obscuring dusts that cloud our vision?

Interestingly, in one passage, 'Abdu'l-Baha identifies speaking ill of one who is absent as one of the greatest sources of harm to our vision, stating that "it would make the dust to settle so thickly on the heart that the ears would hear no more, and the eyes would no longer behold the light of truth." Thus it would seem that avoiding backbiting would be one indispensable practice that "serveth to reduce blindness and to increase vision." Doubtless there are a number of other tools that we can use to increase our vision, and thereby increase our understanding.

It would be a real treat to hear your perspective, dear reader, on this topic!