Poverty of money is one thing, but poverty of perception is far more dangerous.

Recently, the question of “should young people settle down?” became a hot topic across social media. One person posted a video about how, despite a monthly salary of only five million dong, they quit their job to travel the world. The comments section immediately split into two streams of opinion: one side admired them, saying “this is the life worth living,” while the other harshly criticized them, saying “if you don’t save money, you’ll be broke sooner or later.”

Some even dug up the person’s old posts and discovered they came from a wealthy family, with all travel expenses paid for by their parents. Despite this, some people stubbornly insisted that “an ordinary person can do the same.”

In another incident, a famous celebrity sparked controversy with an unintentional slip of the tongue. Immediately, social media was flooded with “heroes of justice.” Some people, based on a single screenshot, concluded that the celebrity had a “terrible personality” and even dug up their statements from ten years ago to stir up a commotion. Meanwhile, others took the time to watch the entire interview video and realized that the statement had been edited and its original meaning distorted. This difference in perception is always clearly visible in every social media debate.

These incidents are like a mirror reflecting the vast differences in the world of perception. Given the same piece of information, some people can piece it together to see the whole truth, while others get stuck in a maze of emotions. Behind this is the distinction between poverty of perception and richness of perception.

From a psychological perspective, this relates to the differences in each person’s cognitive model. Compared to the money in a bank account, poverty of thought is the real invisible trap, silently destroying people’s lives. In life, we often focus only on material wealth, believing that a lack of money is the biggest obstacle. However, when we delve into the nature of life, we realize that poverty of perception is far more dangerous. It’s like an invisible chain that binds our thoughts and actions, limiting our progress every step of the way.

Signs of Poverty of Perception

Poverty of perception first manifests as a superficial view of the world. In psychology, this is linked to a high “need for cognitive closure.” This is the tendency to seek a clear answer to end ambiguity and uncertainty.

People with limited perception are like frogs at the bottom of a well, who can only see a narrow patch of sky and cannot comprehend the richness and diversity of the wider world. They are content with their existing lifestyle and knowledge and have a hostile attitude toward new ideas.

The scholar Confucius once said, “The ways are different, so do not conspire with each other.” This shows that differences in perception make it difficult for people to be in sync and understand each other. This very contentment and unwillingness to change have caused them to lose many opportunities for development.

Take the rise of the Internet as an example. When the Internet first emerged, many people with keen perception decisively plunged in, seized this unprecedented opportunity, achieved wealth, and changed their lives. Meanwhile, those who only knew how to criticize new things and stubbornly clung to old ways were gradually marginalized, watching opportunities pass them by with regret.

Poverty of perception is also reflected in a rigid mindset, lacking metacognition—the ability to be aware of and monitor one’s own thought process.

People with a low level of perception easily fall into black-and-white thinking, lacking dialectical and creative thinking skills. When faced with a problem, they are accustomed to using old, conservative solutions and do not know how to change perspectives or find their own way. When they encounter difficulties, they don’t proactively seek breakthroughs; they only know how to complain and blame circumstances and others. They attribute every failure to external factors and never reflect on their own cognitive shortcomings.

King Trần Thái Tông, in his book Khóa hư lục, advised: “A person who learns the Way must know how to examine themselves. If they only see the faults of others but not their own, they will never make progress.” This emphasizes the importance of self-reflection to overcome one’s own limitations.

Impact of Poverty of Perception

Poverty of perception affects a person comprehensively and profoundly, especially in personal development, forming a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape.

In a career, it limits the ability to be sharp and seize opportunities. People with limited perception only see familiar, traditional paths, ignoring new and emerging fields or potential development directions. They may, out of fear of change or the unknown, refuse to learn new skills and knowledge, losing opportunities for advancement.

The Greek philosopher Socrates once said, “I know one thing: that I know nothing.” This statement shows profound humility but also highlights the importance of always recognizing one’s own knowledge gaps to continuously learn and grow. In this rapidly developing era, professions change every day. If we don’t update our perception and improve our capabilities in time, we can easily be eliminated by the market.

In learning and personal development, poverty of perception is like a high wall, hindering the absorption of knowledge and intellectual progress. This relates to the psychological phenomenon of “cognitive dissonance.” When new information conflicts with existing beliefs, a person with poor perception will choose to avoid or deny the new information to maintain internal balance, rather than adjusting their perception to adapt to the new situation.

They are unwilling to step out of their comfort zone to engage with different perspectives and ideas, leading to outdated knowledge and a rigid mindset.

In social relationships, poverty of perception also has many negative effects. People with limited perception often find it difficult to understand the thoughts and behaviors of others, which can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. They use their limited perception to judge others, lacking tolerance and empathy. This often causes them to be isolated in relationships, making it difficult to build good connections.

How to Break Free from Poverty of Perception

If poverty of perception causes such serious consequences, how can we break through this limitation and enhance our own perception?

Maintaining a lifelong learning attitude is key. We should read books and learn knowledge from various fields, such as literature, history, science, economics, and art. Each field contains unique wisdom and perspectives.

Actively engaging with different people and listening to diverse perspectives is also an effective method to break through cognitive limitations. Each person has their own life experiences and cognitive system. Communicating with different people is like opening doors to other worlds. We can connect with people who are more talented and have deeper knowledge to learn from their experiences and wisdom.

The philosopher Nguyễn Trãi once said, “Learning widely and knowing a lot is good, but what’s important is knowing what to learn and what to discard.” This not only promotes expanding knowledge but also emphasizes the importance of filtering and absorbing what is truly valuable and suitable for oneself.

Developing metacognition—the ability to monitor and adjust one’s own thought process—is the core of enhancing perception. When facing a problem or information, ask yourself: “Why am I drawing this conclusion? Is my perception biased? Are there other possibilities?” Through self-questioning and self-reflection, we can recognize the weaknesses in our perception and improve them.

Being brave enough to try new things and gain experience from practice is also indispensable. Only through action can we verify and apply the knowledge we have learned, turning theory into practical ability. Every time we try something new, it’s an opportunity to overcome ourselves. Even if we fail, the experiences and lessons gained during the process will become invaluable assets, helping us understand the world better and elevate our level of perception.

Material poverty can be a temporary difficulty. With hard work and seizing opportunities, we can become wealthy. However, if the poverty of perception is not changed, it will become a profound obstacle, causing us to face countless difficulties on our life path.