Perception of Space

Perception is everything when it comes to changing living situation and living in specific situations in general. By definition perception is “the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or the mind; cognition; understanding.”

My personal perception has changed a lot in the past few days and has given birth to a whole new lifestyle that I need to accept and adapt to given the fact that I am now living in a completely different manner that I will remain in for several months and most likely the next few years of my life. Only about a week and a half ago I was living in a pretty large house with the rest of my family (mom, dad, two brothers, and a sister). We all had all the space we needed in the circumstance that we needed to be alone or just wanted some peace and quiet. In addition to have space within the house to escape and live my life in terms that I was used to, I also had access to a car in which I could take at any moment and drive to where I wanted to go. In this situation I had the perception that human beings had their space to be alone with the opportunities to come together in the same space and share each other’s company. In addition I learned that with a large family comes many different personalities and habits, some you don’t mind and others you can’t stand. In order to make things work and have a household that runs smoothly you need to learn to cooperate with one another and understand that you are not going to win every battle and always get your way.

Moving into a dorm room in college with another person made me realize just how much freedom I had at home and really how good I had it. My perception now has taken a 180-degree turn that presents new challenges I will need to overcome in order to maintain a smooth lifestyle. Both my room mate and myself have to accept one another for who they are and work from there.

Both situations that have been a part of my life make me fully understand just how space affects one’s perception on life. For example, if one were to live in a big house on their own, with little interaction with others, their perception might be that they have the freedom to do as they please and never have to worry about upsetting others or having to make it work. On the flip side if one was to live in an apartment with three room mates, their perception would change to the mind set that they have to learn to get along with others so that they can live there life most effectively (learning how to communicate properly with others and accept the habits of others that might not necessarily match their own).

Perception changes everywhere that people travel, and specific areas have everything to do with that. For example, living in poverty may give one the perception that life is hard and unfair, whereas living in a well off community may make one think that they will face no troubles in their life and therefore don’t have to worry about the future. In addition they may not make an effort to better other communities because they are not personally a part of it at the moment. In these cases perception and space can make one misinterpret the world in which they live, in the end damaging and morphing their mindset and their future.

Space has everything to do with one’s mental mindset and their perception of life. Given that statement, an individual can either embrace or neglect the opportunities to adapt and make for the best living experience possible.