"Perception is Reality"
Or is It?
This memorable clip from the movie 'Apocalypse Now.' While not actual historical footage, the representation of the Vietnam War is iconic.
True perception is the ability to see, feel, hear or recognize things for what they objectively are, but which may not be readily apparent or visible through simple observation or listening.
Unfortunately, most perception is subjective, as it is influenced by our thoughts, feelings, prejudices, or experiences. The clip used for this exercise, while not actual footage, is still an iconic and vivid portrayal of the Vietnam War (and war in general.) An initial viewing of this clip will focus on the visual; particularly the image of the enemy positions being napalmed, because of the spectacular effect. But reimage the situation with one’s eyes closed, and what would become predominant? The noise; the heat;, the smell (as Kilgore famously says.) But what could not be ‘sensed’ directly would be the FEAR experienced by the two soldiers in the foxhole. Most of these sensations are something that can be envisioned or recreated; the auditory, the olfactory, the heat. But it’s the sensory overload of battle, where all of these senses are being assaulted at once and the element of fear in the situation, that is something that can only be grasped at, because until one has experienced it, one cannot begin to imagine it. Any combat veteran will tell you, while the sensory overload (auditory/olfactory, etc) is the 1st thing noticed, it becomes manageable. But it is the fear and horror of combat that can only be felt by someone who has been through it.
When one studies or teaches about historical situations, it can sometimes become ‘depersonalized.’ This battle, this strategy, this policy, this outcome. Kind of like the bombing run in this clip. Or a B-52 from 32,000 feet. Or a Presidential press conference. But a deeper understanding of the topic can come from looking at it from an individual perspective, and not just facts and details of a battle, or reading about how a policy was established or decision reached. ‘War is hell’ is the phrase often used, but too often in media, it is glorified or sanitized or turned into facts and figures. Experiencing an historical event from a ‘on the ground’ perspective would greatly enhance and deepen one’s understanding of a situation. While it is undoubtedly unrealistic to try and recreate a combat situation, it could be possible to have students experience some aspects of life ‘in the trenches.’ As for the combat situations, I would take the students out, get them in the woods, get them some combat rations (can buy at any surplus store,) and devise some classroom scenarios (for example, darkening the room, blindfolding the students, quieting everything and the then playing real war footage, at a high volume.) Give them a sense of the sensory overload.
Likewise, the challenges faced by decision makers and important personages can be simulated. My vision for the decision making 're-imagining' would have the students in groups, as members of a decision making team (such as the NSC or President’s war cabinet.) They would be given information, and be required to make decisions on the conduct of the war, to the President (me), based on that info and the info studied. What is the pressure they are dealing with? What information do they have and what do they need? How are they making decisions based on limited information? Using teaching tools that attempt to re-create particular situations can not only be more fun and interesting, but they will give a whole new perspective to what actually transpires in an historical event. Moreover, this approach has real world applications; very rarely in life do we have all the information we need to make decisions. Students need to understand that and become more comfortable with it.
Unfortunately, most perception is subjective, as it is influenced by our thoughts, feelings, prejudices, or experiences. The clip used for this exercise, while not actual footage, is still an iconic and vivid portrayal of the Vietnam War (and war in general.) An initial viewing of this clip will focus on the visual; particularly the image of the enemy positions being napalmed, because of the spectacular effect. But reimage the situation with one’s eyes closed, and what would become predominant? The noise; the heat;, the smell (as Kilgore famously says.) But what could not be ‘sensed’ directly would be the FEAR experienced by the two soldiers in the foxhole. Most of these sensations are something that can be envisioned or recreated; the auditory, the olfactory, the heat. But it’s the sensory overload of battle, where all of these senses are being assaulted at once and the element of fear in the situation, that is something that can only be grasped at, because until one has experienced it, one cannot begin to imagine it. Any combat veteran will tell you, while the sensory overload (auditory/olfactory, etc) is the 1st thing noticed, it becomes manageable. But it is the fear and horror of combat that can only be felt by someone who has been through it.
When one studies or teaches about historical situations, it can sometimes become ‘depersonalized.’ This battle, this strategy, this policy, this outcome. Kind of like the bombing run in this clip. Or a B-52 from 32,000 feet. Or a Presidential press conference. But a deeper understanding of the topic can come from looking at it from an individual perspective, and not just facts and details of a battle, or reading about how a policy was established or decision reached. ‘War is hell’ is the phrase often used, but too often in media, it is glorified or sanitized or turned into facts and figures. Experiencing an historical event from a ‘on the ground’ perspective would greatly enhance and deepen one’s understanding of a situation. While it is undoubtedly unrealistic to try and recreate a combat situation, it could be possible to have students experience some aspects of life ‘in the trenches.’ As for the combat situations, I would take the students out, get them in the woods, get them some combat rations (can buy at any surplus store,) and devise some classroom scenarios (for example, darkening the room, blindfolding the students, quieting everything and the then playing real war footage, at a high volume.) Give them a sense of the sensory overload.
Likewise, the challenges faced by decision makers and important personages can be simulated. My vision for the decision making 're-imagining' would have the students in groups, as members of a decision making team (such as the NSC or President’s war cabinet.) They would be given information, and be required to make decisions on the conduct of the war, to the President (me), based on that info and the info studied. What is the pressure they are dealing with? What information do they have and what do they need? How are they making decisions based on limited information? Using teaching tools that attempt to re-create particular situations can not only be more fun and interesting, but they will give a whole new perspective to what actually transpires in an historical event. Moreover, this approach has real world applications; very rarely in life do we have all the information we need to make decisions. Students need to understand that and become more comfortable with it.