Most people assume that everybody else sees exactly what they see. The truth is, each one of us sees things and situations differently because we all have different experience. For Example, most adults will insist that they "see" a triangle in the following illustration, but most preschool children can only see three black "Pac Man" like shapes.
In this case, the children are more accurate, because in reality, there is no triangle. As adults, we create a triangle from our knowledge and past experience.
When used properly, the knowledge that we have gained from our past experience can help us to survive and flourish. However, too often, our mind creates thing and situations that do not really exist; and once we create such situations we believe them and respond to to situation as if it is real. In our previous story, without the owner's intervention to help us see the situation more clearly, we will either leave the restaurant or come into conflict with a good man and father who has just lost his wife. Much of our human failure and conflict comes from our failure to see situation truthfully and objectively.