Principle 2 — The Principle of Filters
We Perceive the World Through Our Own Lens
What Is a “Filter”?
Throughout life, we accumulate patterns for how to judge situations, interpret events, and respond to challenges.
These internalized patterns form what MLS calls filters.
Common types of filters include:
- values inherited from family
- past successes and failures
- beliefs we consider “common sense”
- self-evaluation and identity
- expectations placed on others
- emotional tendencies such as anxiety or anger
These filters shape how we see the world—long before we act on it.
Different Meanings Create Different Futures
Two people can experience the exact same event yet interpret it completely differently:
- One sees a mistake as an opportunity to grow
- Another sees the same mistake as proof of personal inadequacy
Same event.
Different meaning.
Different future.
Filters determine the story we tell ourselves about what happened—and that story guides our next action.
Why Filters Create Conflict
Humans tend to assume that “my perspective is correct.”
But in reality, perception works like wearing colored lenses:
- You are wearing red lenses
- The other person is wearing blue lenses
Red and blue do not show the same world.
No amount of arguing will make the colors align.
The issue is not that one person is “wrong.”
It is that you are not seeing the same thing in the first place.
Recognizing this is a powerful step toward reducing unnecessary conflict.
The Calendar Resets Meaning-Making
The Tzolkin calendar offers a way to step outside one’s habitual filters.
Each day provides symbolic cues that suggest:
- How to interpret situations
- Where to place attention
- What lens may be helpful today
This creates cognitive distance from automatic interpretations and helps restore neutrality—even if temporarily.
In MLS, this “reset” function is one of the calendar’s most valuable roles.
Summary
- Filters determine how we judge, feel, and act
- Conflicts often arise from differences in filters, not differences in values
- Understanding perceptual differences is the first step toward mutual understanding
- The calendar serves as a lens that softens rigid interpretations and widens perspective