Opinions vs. Facts: How Perception Shapes Our World

Opinions vs. Facts: How Perception Shapes Our World

When someone speaks to us, whether it’s a friend, a colleague, or even an author in a book, it’s easy to take their words as truth. Yet what we hear is rarely pure fact. It’s filtered through perception: the unique lens of experience, culture, and emotion that shapes how each person sees the world.

Philosopher Marcus Aurelius once said, “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” This idea remains deeply relevant today. Recognising the difference between fact and opinion can be liberating, especially when harmful beliefs have been handed down as if they were unquestionable truths.

🧠 Facts vs. Opinions in Everyday Life

Facts are verifiable and objective. For example: The sky is blue.

Opinions are interpretations shaped by emotion or bias. For example: The weather is beautiful.

In therapy, this distinction matters. A client might say, “I am a bad person.” Taken as fact, this belief can fuel depression or anxiety. Seen as opinion, it becomes a thought to challenge and reframe.

🌍 Why Perception Matters

Perception is how we interpret reality through our senses and experiences. Two people can read the same book and walk away with entirely different conclusions. This doesn’t mean one is wrong; it means each is seeing through their own lens.

When we forget this, conflict often arises. We assume our perception is the truth, and theirs must be false. Recognising perception as subjective helps us step back, soften defensiveness, and open space for dialogue.

🔄 Cognitive Reframing: A Practical Tool

Cognitive reframing (or restructuring) is a technique used in CBT to challenge unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more balanced ones.

Try this:

• Notice the thought. (“They think I’m too sensitive.”)
• Ask: Is this a fact or an opinion?
• Reframe: “That’s their perception. It doesn’t define me.”

This shift reduces shame and restores agency.

🌿 Visualisation Exercise: The Lens of Perception

• Close your eyes and imagine standing in the centre of a circle.
• Around you, people hold coloured lenses — each lens represents their perspective.
• As they speak, their words pass through the lens before reaching you.
• Repeat the mantra: “Their lens is not my truth.”

📚 Helpful Resources

Book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz — explores how words and beliefs shape us.

Video: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story.

✅ Small Steps You Can Practise

1. Write down one belief you’ve carried from someone else.
2. Ask: Is this a fact or an opinion?
3. Reframe it in your own words.
4. Practise the mantra: “Their lens is not my truth.”
5. Share your reflection with a trusted friend or journal it.

Final thought: Every voice you hear is shaped by perception. By learning to separate fact from opinion, you reclaim the power to decide what belongs to you and what doesn’t.