Our Inner Movie
The following metaphor can be useful in understanding how
questioning our perceptions can lead to growth and healing. In
perceiving the world, it is as if our eyes and ears were a cam-
era and microphone. Instead of actually witnessing reality
directly, we watch what I call an inner movie, on a screen inside
our heads. And this screen, it turns out, is often unreliable.
Our inner movie plays the story that we tell ourselves
about the world around us and about who we are. Though the
content of the inner movie is supposed to primarily reflect out-
side reality, several personal factors can determine what shows
up on our screen.^1Personal Factors
Specific personal factors affect our perception. For example
each of us is born with certain innate traits. These include
physical characteristics such as height, skin color, right- or left-
handedness etc. But they also include tendencies to develop
certain behaviors as well. Some infants are just more excitable
than others, while others are unflappable. Some are naturally
intuitive, while others have quick reflexes.
In discussing our inner movies, it is important to remember
that such traits tend to affect what we value. An excitable infant
might value peace and quiet, while an unflappable baby might
love highly stimulating environments. An intuitive person
might love guessing games, while someone with quick reflexes
might be more attracted to games of skill.
Our physical state might also have an impact on what we
see in our inner movie. Illness, fatigue, alcohol, and hunger —
all can affect our perception. And even if we are aware of the
effect our condition is having on our perception, we may not be
able to do anything about it. Someone with a thyroid condition
might know that his listlessness and jitters are due to his hav-
ing skipped medication, and yet that knowledge itself does not“The life, which is not
examined, is not worth
living.”
Plato64 E-Motion Picture Magic