Clearly, we must use a representation or model of the world in our minds. Otherwise, we would need heads as big as the world itself if we were to code all space and dimensions in 'real' terms.

Take the London Tube Map. Clearly, it is smaller than the real tube network, and lots of detail is missing, also the distances between stations has been distorted to allow all stations to fit on. Plus, all the lines have been represented as straight and on the same level.

This map has been subjected to generalisations, deletions and distortions - the same 3 rules apply to the way our brains represent our own experiences.

So, 'The Map is NOT the Territory'. In other words, what we code as our experience of the world is only ever a representation; based on our previous experiences (which are also only representations). This means that no two people will ever have the same representation in their minds; even if they observed the same event.

To understand this enables us to appreciate that someone elses behaviour is always valid based on the representations that they have in their minds.

In fact, if you think about it, most of the problems in the world are caused by one person or group trying to impose their maps into other people.

Try this for yourself: ask someone how they feel about christmas? If their response if different than yours it is often tempting to challenge their view. But remember, their 'view' is made up from many many representations over their entire life time of experience. Their map can never equal yours and from this knowledge comes a tolerance of why we have difference.