From screen doors to tinted windows, filters are plenty helpful. On the other hand, conscious or unconscious mental filters might need replacing. Mental filters that only recognize information or experiences that are familiar or convenient and which disregard the unknown are problematic, limiting our personal growth. Search filters on computers are great at helping us look for information that we prefer, often aligning with our previous search history. The filters are both helpful and annoying as it limits possibilities.
Have you ever noticed that when looking for something, perhaps a red pair of scissors, our brain may select the colour red as a priority, even over the shape of scissors. Despite that we have seen a pair of scissors several times during our search, somehow, we are blind to them. Our brain, has programed itself only to search for the colour red. Yet, the scissors we want, are actually green. Oops! Memory tries to aid our search, but memory is fallible. You may ask, how filters are relevant to anything meaningful? Well, our filters silently run in the background of our minds, as powerful directives to how we view the world, and how we see ourselves.
The stronger the filter the less observant we need to be, we do not need to distinguish each item, because we are just looking for red. With strong filters we hear less, see less, and often feel less. That is the point of filters, to reduce the options, to lessen the stimulus, to tune out the non-relevant stuff in our lives, like ads, the mother in-laws, and whinny children. However, filters have side effects. Sometimes we do not observe the truth because it is green, and our filters only allow us to see red.
People use filters for emotional comfort. We filter out unwanted sounds, like sirens in the city or living by the train tracks. We ‘pretend listen’ to those we wish not to offend. We filter all media selections, and even the news and its agenda driven sources. Filters are developed to protect us emotionally from harsh criticisms, negative reactions, and all forms of rejection. Filters are not good or bad, unless of course they limit our experiences, warp our sense of reality, decrease our learning, and ignore the truth.
Conditioning of our mind by others to see things in a certain way, are the filters that have been imposed upon us. These filters lead to ignorance and prejudice. Even our electronic devices use sophisticated algorithms to filter our options while profiting on their ability to predict our preferences. Which may be great for following a particular interest, and horrible in that it rarely challenges our evolving ideas, knowledge, and values. When we allow our filters to feed us only one side of a story, then we are uninformed.
When two contradictory groups cannot tolerate each other, when they cease to listen to opposing positions, then their ridged filters cause blind spots. Ideally filters attempt to let the good stuff through, while screening out the bad. Unfortunately, entrenched filters stop us from being adaptable, logical and open minded. Some filters perpetuate unawareness which supports our fears and maintains a biased agenda. We may become so protected that we allow nothing new in. As good as some filters are, unchallenged filters, at their worst, can lead to corruption, hate, and violence.
Children, especially kids under twelve, have not developed critical filters that adults rely on to navigate a sometimes-unfriendly world. For example, an adult can be slandered and not take it personally. Their ability to filter out untruths, to critically examine negative comments, helps keep them resilient and unscathed. Young children without critical filters are more susceptible to negative comments and are easily influenced to think in certain ways. If a child is told that they are silly, lazy, or stupid, long enough, by an emotionally charged adult (anxious, frustrated or angry) the child will eventually believe this label to be true. It becomes part of their self image. Accurate or not, these labels grow into beliefs that the child unconsciously runs as a mental filter. If a kid believes that they are dumb, they will screen out being smart.
As we get older, some people tend to develop more filters to protect themselves, emotionally, intellectually, relationship wise, and so on. It is a myth that an old dog can’t learn new tricks. Yet if we believe that we can’t learn or that there is nothing new worth learning, then those filters support our mental and social decline.
As we age, years of filters have been installed to safeguard us against emotional pain. These filters include aspects of our self-concept, our personal story, and the rose-coloured lenses that we choose to see the world through. These filters are like layers of callouses, formed to protect us from friction. However, it also reduces our receptivity. The protection we required in the past for guarding our fragile self-esteem, may be contributing now to our inability to emotionally connect, making us unavailable to those we love. Therefore, as we age, we may find ourselves in the process of peeling away the very layers of defense that we previously built up.
We can only rid ourselves of unwanted filters, if we are aware that they exist. Therefore it is important to build the habit of questioning regularly the values that drive our choices. Encourage friends to be radically honest with you. Listen to alternative perspectives, especially if they upset you. Be inquisitive, seeking to understand the many sides of an issue.
The more experienced and wiser we become; the less defense filters we need. With maturity we can be at ease around critical people. Our ability to observe rather than judge, and intending to be personally better rather than bitter, all help to reduce our need for filters. Deleting filters that keep our minds stagnant and small requires the courage to be open towards the unknown and the uncomfortable. Learning to accept and love ourselves is a start towards respecting those we disagree with. When we are confident in our own worth, we are much less dependent on the need for other people’s approval of us. When we love who we are we don’t need protection, we can be sensitive, vulnerable, and aware.
Common filters include barriers to trust, inability to see positive potentials in opposing agenda’s, judging people on external issues like status, religion, race, education, gender, sexual preferences, and so forth. Many of our filters just inhibit us from seeing a reality that we don’t want to accept, due to previous conditioning or perceived pain. Eventually ignoring reality is a larger source of suffering over accepting the truth of our experiences. Keep evolving, by peeling away unnecessary filters and committing to being uncomfortable, and even excluded or rejected. Let go of the need for acceptance and embrace what you believe to be true and kind.
Namaste
Chris