Image, Perceptions and Reality

We live in a society governed by physical appearance, perceptions, image, success, failures, power, etc... What we really are is not always what other people think about us.

Some people are good at projecting a very positive image of themselves but which does not necessarily reflect what they are in reality while others fail to project a proper image of themselves because their talks, behaviour and actions are perhaps not in harmony with their values and thoughts.

The question is what kind of image would you like to project in the society you live in ?

Do you want people to perceive you as what you really are with all your qualities and your weakness ? Or do you want to project another image of yourself : an image which either values your strengths and masks your weakness or an image which highlights your limits but undervalues your qualities ?

I think it depends on your values, your self-esteem, your life ambitions etc...

The choice is yours...

Alain Fok

Happy Birthday my friend !!!

Do you remember the first letter I sent you 23 years ago. I got your address through PENPAL. We were still so young and so innocent at that time...

After some years, I met you for the first time in Hong Kong and you also came to Mauritius some years after.

As technology changes, we stopped writing letters and corresponded by email and sms. We could also keep in touch through Internet chat softwares or social Internet network softwares but I don't often use these platforms.

You are now married and have a small family to take care of and I have my own life too.

Yes we do not keep in touch very often now.

Yes we might have different characters, tastes and lifestyle.

Yes we might have different thoughts and attitudes concerning some issues.

But one thing for sure is that we share many common principles and values and our friendship is an everlasting one.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my friend Louise !!!

Love from Alain

xxx

Wrong belief, false perceptions end in gossips...

A famous newspaper published a front page article about some acts of violence in a specific area of a well known city between two groups of people. According to that article, the cause of these fights between 'gangs' was due to drug dealings because that area was famous for that.

Some days later, a rectification was made (but this time not in the front page) concerning the cause of these fights. It was in fact not related at all to a drug affair and the area is not even a drug dealer's place. However the author of that article did not even appologise for publishing this 'wrong source of information'.

Can you imagine how people who live in that area felt when learning that they lived in a place where drug dealings are common ?

Today, I will not focus on whether this kind of press reporting was ethical or not. But I will concentrate on 'us', the 'consumers' of information.

When we watch tv, listen to radio, read newspapers or magazines, surf on Internet etc..., maybe we shall always try to keep an open mind on news or piece of information which raised our attention.

Perhaps things we learned (positive or negative) are not always true and we need to verify our belief.

Because wrong belief, false perceptions etc.. tend to end in gossips...

Alain Fok